Look But Don't Touch
by ziva2012
Summary: Jack has a bad habit of touching things he shouldn't. This time he may have gone too far.
1. Chapter 1

"Look But Don't Touch"

Chapter one

The explosion had left her ears ringing for a time and her nerves on edge, but otherwise she felt fine. She just wished they'd put both her and General O'Neill in the same cell. She knew he was injured, but she wasn't certain how badly. She heard him groan, and she saw him push himself up to his feet. Then his body tilted sideways and he almost fell.

"Sir!" Sam watched in fear as Jack stumbled over to the bench, where he slumped down, holding his head in his hands. "They hit you pretty hard," she told him from the cell next to his. "You probably shouldn't try to get up just yet."

"Yah, I got that. What happened, Colonel?"

"You don't remember?" she asked, worried that he might have a concussion.

"No. Ow! Crap!" he cried as he touched the back of his head.

"They shot you with a sort of stun gun. You fell and hit your head," she said, filling him in as she stood at the bars between their cells.

"No, I mean before that? What happened? Where are we and how did we get here?" he asked. He knew who he was and who she was. He just had no idea where they were or why they were locked up, although something about the place looked vaguely familiar.

"I was conducting an experiment on Merlyn's time dilation device, Sir."

"Merlyn's what?"

"Time dilation device, Sir. It de-molecularizes matter and takes it out of phase. I think we ended up in another dimension…an alternate reality, if you will."

"Great! And why were you fiddling with this time thingy in the first place?" He had no idea what she was talking about, but that was nothing new.

"I was trying to expand the range of the device, so I could hide our entire planet from the Ori, when you came in and touched it."

"So this is MY fault?" How could she blame him, when she was the one playing with the time diluting thingamajig? He had no idea what it was, but it sounded like a dangerous thing to be fiddling with.

"Well, actually, yes Sir, it is. If you hadn't touched that terminal, completing the circuit, the device never would have activated."

Okay, so maybe it WAS his fault. He could deal with that, but what he couldn't deal with was being locked up!

"So…WHERE are we?" He didn't get it, and he really hoped he wouldn't have to ask her again, because his head was killing him! "This sorta looks like the SGC."

"It is, Sir. Well, I mean it's one possible version of the SGC. From what I can gather, Sir, the people we know, including myself and General Landry, do not work here, and there's something else." If she knew the general, she knew he wasn't going to like this next part. He wasn't really a male chauvinist, but he DID prefer that some things not change, and the military was one of them.

"What?" He had a feeling she was keeping something big and important from him. He just hoped she wasn't going to say they couldn't get home.

"Well, Sir, it appears the base, and pretty much the entire world in this reality, is run by women." She saw the look of disbelief on Jack's face. She was having trouble believing it too, but she'd been asking questions, and all the answers pointed to one thing; this was a matriarchal society in the strictest sense of the word.

Just then three women walked into the outer chamber. Two of them carried the guns to which she'd alluded, and they were plainly dressed in some sort of uniform. The third woman was weaponless and wore an expensive looking pant suit the color of marigolds that shone like silk. It was she who approached the bars of Sam's cell.

"I'm Chairwoman Jennings. Who are you?" she asked, directing her question to Sam. "You appear to be a citizen, but you don't have any identification on you," the tall, smartly-dressed brunette stated, her tone curious.

"My name is Sam Carter. I lost my ID," Sam told her. She'd been questioned about not having an ID before, when she was first discovered, so she'd had time to think about what she would say if she was asked again. She'd also removed all identification from her coveralls, managing to toss the patches into the trash on her way to the brig where she was now being held, so at least she wouldn't have to explain those.

"Sam? Sam is a man's name!" the woman cried incredulously.

"Eh…sorry. It's actually Samantha, but my father wanted a boy," Sam said with a half laugh.

"He WOULD!" the woman exclaimed with obvious derision. "Don't ever lower yourself to their level, Samantha! Why didn't you report the loss of your identification card?"

"I didn't have time. I didn't want to be late for work…in the…ah…genetics lab." Sam couldn't tell if the woman believed her or not. She glanced quickly at Jack, who had a scowl on his face. She was thankful he was keeping quiet, although she didn't think he'd remain so for long.

"We found you in one of the isolation labs with this man," she said, thrusting her chin in Jack's direction. "What were you doing there?"

"He arrived with the last shipment of test subjects. He got away and was hiding there. I had just located him, when the guards came in to help," Sam lied, building a story on things she'd heard them talking about when she first arrived.

While Jack had been stunned and rendered unconscious, she had been dragged into an interrogation room and questioned, which gave her a chance to learn something about these people and their society, or at least about the base. She deduced that it didn't seem to be so much a military base, as it was a protected place for women and children to live. She'd seen girls of all ages here, and they were always in the company of an adult female. She hoped something that she'd learned would help her fit in, so that she could find a way to get back to the device that had brought them here. It was their only way home, and she prayed nothing had happened to it.

Jack had heard enough. He wasn't about to let Carter get him out of this mess all on her own! And what was with this pack of lies she was telling? He wasn't a test subject, for crying out loud!

"Hey, I don't know who the hell you think you are, but you've got no right to lock us up!" Jack shouted as he launched himself from the bench. He hit the bars chest first and stabbed an arm through them, reaching toward the woman. She jumped back, obviously frightened of him. The two guards stepped forward, pistols pointed at Jack.

"No! Wait! Please, don't shoot him! He could be valuable to us!" Sam shouted, running over to where Jack stood. They were only three feet apart, but separated by metal bars. Sam was terrified that they were going to shoot him again, and she'd have to stand there watching as she had done before. That time she hadn't been prepared for what happened, but this time she'd be damned if she was going to let them shoot him without putting up a fight…at least a verbal one.

"Stop!" the unarmed woman shouted, holding up one well-manicured hand.

The other two women lowered their guns, as Jack lowered his hands to his sides, but there was fire in his eyes that he couldn't put out. That had been a foolish thing to do and he knew it, but he also knew he sometimes acted without thinking. He was just glad that Carter was here to save him from himself.

"Don't try that again, or I will let them shoot you, MAN," the elegantly dressed woman told him. Making a distasteful face, she stressed the word MAN as though it was a derogatory word like BITCH or CUNT. Then she shifted her attention back to Sam.

"You must be new here, or you would know never to go after an escapee without one of the guards to help you."

"Yes, I am new. And I'm very sorry. It won't happen again."

"Alright. You are forgiven this time. Be sure to report the loss of your card to your supervisor. She'll see to it that you get another one. Guard, let her out!" One of the female guards unlocked the cell door. Sam stepped out into the room and stood to one side, waiting.

"Go on. What are you waiting for?" the woman asked testily.

"I thought I would return him to the lab," Sam said, trying not to sound too hopeful that he'd be released to her.

"I'll see to it that he gets there…..in due time," she said haughtily, as she stared at Jack with piercing green eyes.

Sam gave Jack a furtive look. He just stared into her eyes, hoping his eyes conveyed his feelings of appreciation for what she had done and what she had tried to do. And then Sam opened the outer door and left. He knew there was nothing else she could do right now, and he understood without having to hear the words, that she would do what she could, when she could. For now he was on his own.

Once Sam was gone, the woman's demeanor toward Jack changed noticeably. Jack saw an almost feral look come over her face as she looked at him, her eyes roaming up and down his body, finally settling on his groin.

"Guards, unlock the door and restrain him on the floor, on his back. I want to see what he has to offer."

Hearing her words, Jack jumped back, spreading his arms in a defensive posture. He was getting the feeling that she was hungry, and his dick was the only thing on the menu!

"Hey, I don't know who you think I am, but I can tell you I don't kiss on the first date," Jack quipped.

"Careful now, Man, or they WILL shoot you." All three women got closer, and then the guards grabbed his arms.

"If you cooperate, they won't hurt you," she told him. Then as if talking to herself, she said, "I wonder what our money has gotten us this time. He seems a little old. I hope the Consortium hasn't sent us their garbage once again."

She stood aside and watched as the two women did as she asked. One held Jack's arm behind his back, as she pushed him to his knees with her boot in the middle of his back, while the other guard pointed her weapon at his chest. When he was kneeling between the two guards, one tied his hands behind his back, and then she pushed him to the floor face down, where she tied his ankles together. Using the toes of their boots the two guards prodded him, until he rolled over and faced his captors.

It was damned uncomfortable laying on his arms like this, but soon Jack forgot about that discomfort as he was faced with another one. While their leader smiled and watched with interest, the two guards undid his trousers and pulled them down below his crotch, along with his boxer shorts.

"Hey, stop that!" he shouted at them, trying to squirm from their reach. But Jack gave up when he felt the cold air hit his genitals. At first he was appalled, but then when he saw the awed smile on the woman's face, he thought that maybe he should be glad that she was impressed by the size of his dick. Maybe, he reasoned, his big dick could get him out of the fix he was in?!

IIf you're planning to fuck your way out of here, I think you're about ten years too old for that,/I his alter ego taunted, reminding him that he wasn't a young man anymore.

IYou might be surprised, you naysayer!/I his libido replied.

"Very nice! I can see why they wanted you in the genetics lab!" the woman exclaimed, staring openly at Jack's groin.

"Eh…I didn't sign on for any genetics experiments, but I'm sure you and I could come to some sort of arrangement," Jack offered. He'd fuck her, if it meant getting out of here.

"Quiet!" she yelled as she kicked Jack in the ribs with the pointed toe of her shoe. The response he got was not what he'd hoped for, the kick in his side coming as a shock to him both physically and mentally.

"Hey! Don't damage the merchandise!" Jack yelled, and then he gritted his teeth against the pain she'd inflicted. For a split second he wondered if she'd broken a rib or two, because it hurt to breathe.

"Shut up! Take him to my quarters and restrain him on the bed. You know how I like them," she told the two guards, and then she left the cell and Jack was hauled to his feet.

Sam knew she needed to figure out a way to get back to the room where she'd been conducting the experiment, but she couldn't do that easily unless she was given free reign to move about the base. So she decided to try and fit in as best she could, and the first thing she needed to do was go the lab and pretend to be a new employee.

What Sam found there, or rather who, shocked her and made her want to jump for joy at the same time. Spouting out orders as though she owned the place was one petite brunette that Sam was thrilled to see. They had been close friends in her reality, and Sam still missed her terribly. The shock came from the fact that her friend had been dead going on three years now. It was none other than Dr. Janet Frasier!

"What are you doing, Prather? Get that sample to the OR now! There's no sense in using sperm that's already lost its motility," Janet told a white-coated assistant. The woman blushed and stammered as she hurried out of the room through a door at the back of the lab. Several other women were working in the room too. When Janet yelled, they all smiled to themselves, but they kept their eyes on their work. Just then the doctor turned and saw Sam standing in the doorway.

"Yes? What do you want?"

"They said you needed help. I'm it," Sam told her, hoping no further explanation would be needed.

"Good golly! You mean the Consortium finally listened to my pleas? I can't believe it! Well, don't just stand there; come on in! Where's your ID badge?" Janet Frasier asked, as she scanned Sam's chest for said badge.

"I lost it trying to catch a runaway. I just got into a load of trouble with Chairwoman Jennings over it."

"Oh, her! Don't let her high-handed methods scare you. She's a small fish around here. The one you've really got to watch out for is General Taylor," Janet told her, apparently unconcerned that the other women could hear her. "So what should I call you?"

"Samantha. My name is Samantha Carter…Doctor Samantha Carter," she braved. Sam figured that being a doctor would probably give her even more leniency when it came to her movements, and that's what she would need, if she was to get herself and General O'Neill out of here.

"A doctor! Wow! I must really have impressed someone with that last letter I wrote. Okay, Samantha, let's order that new ID badge, and then we'll see what you can do. If I don't succeed soon, I'll be sent to the mines!"

Sam had no idea what they were trying to do in this lab. She just hoped that no matter what it was, she'd be able to blend in and then use her free time to figure out a way to get home. In the meantime, she hoped that Jack was not being mistreated by Chairwoman Jennings.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two

Today he was supposed to be going out to lunch with his ex-wife and his daughter, but instead he was stuck on base with a new emergency…a really big one.

"Is there any word yet from Dr. Lee?" General Landry asked the little sergeant. Two of the Air Force's most decorated heroes had been missing for four hours now, and no one seemed to have any idea how to get them back.

"No, Sir," Walter replied. He felt sorry for the general, but more than that he felt badly that Colonel Carter and General O'Neill were missing. He had known them both for many years, and he'd always admired them…hero-worshipped them even.

"Tell Dr. Lee I want an update in one hour. There has got to be a way to get them back!"

"Yes, Sir!" Walter left his CO slumped behind his desk, with his head in his hands.

At the same time, up in Sam's lab a very concerned Dr. Bill Lee was sitting with his head down as well. He knew there was no way to reverse the accident that had caused Sam and General O'Neill to shift out of phase….not without the device. He prayed that the device had gone wherever Sam and General O'Neill had gone, because it certainly wasn't here!

IKnowing Sam, she's probably working on a solution right now,/I he told himself, and for a few seconds the thought made him feel better. But then the weight of what he knew fell over him like a pall. There was no way he could bring them back. He'd just have to tell General Landry the truth.

Jack lay on his back strapped to the four-poster bed, watching as the tall brunette strutted slowly around the room, removing one article of her clothing at a time, obviously for his entertainment. And he had to admit that her act was provocative, but Jack still wasn't feeling the burn…at least not yet.

The two guards had brought him here. Then they had stripped off his clothes, before fastening him spread-eagled to the bed. He didn't have to guess what was about to happen, and a part of him wanted to protest. But then he thought that if there was a chance his cooperation might help get him what he wanted, he should go along with it, shouldn't he? Of course it did make him feel kind of funny knowing that Sam was here somewhere, and that she might find out. But hey, if he did it to help gain their freedom, what would be the harm in that? Right? She wouldn't be mad at him. Right? After all, it wasn't like they'd promised their undying love to each other or anything. If only!

He had wanted to tell Sam that he loved her so many times in the past ten years, but something had always gotten in his way. At first it had been the non-fraternization regulations. Then a couple of years ago it had been because she got engaged to someone else. Thank God she had come to her senses and had called off the wedding! And more recently, it was because they were assigned almost two thousand miles apart. Yep, one way or the other, life seemed to get in their way. Like right now. Just the other day he had decided to retire, for good this time. And today was the day he had intended to tell her how he felt about her and what he was willing to do about it, but now he had no idea when he'd be able to tell her.

"Man!" Chairwoman Jennings yelled. Jack blinked, forcing himself back to the here and now. The woman stood to his left, staring down at him with an angry look on her face. Jack thought she was pretty, in a very exotic sort of way….more Daniel's type than his.

"That's me!" Jack replied cheekily.

"You seem disinterested. Are you that happy being a lab rat? You know I can send you right back to your cage at any instant, if you prefer it to being here," she suggested, glancing down at his flaccid penis.

"No! I want to be here with you. Just….untie my hands. How do you expect me to make love to you, if my hands are tied?" Jack asked. She was totally naked now, and he had to admit that she had a nice body with her long legs, curvy hips and big tits.

"Who said anything about making love, you silly creature? Men are for procreation and sexual satisfaction. We don't make love to you! Whatever gave you that idea?" she asked with genuine interest. She thought this man seemed foreign when compared to the others she'd had, and she decided that his differences might prove worthwhile to her as an academic. After all, she still needed a subject for her doctoral thesis, and she thought that many would find a dissertation on males and their idiosyncrasies to be quite interesting.

"I'm not from around here, and where I come from men and women….we don't just fuck; we make love." He had been about to say that men and women were equals where he came from, but at the last second he decided not to say something that might upset her. He watched warily as she came closer to the bed. Her breasts were large, their dark areolas conspicuous against her flawless, olive skin. Jack stared at them, imagining what he'd like to do to them, giving himself permission to get turned on.

"Ahh, I thought you might be foreign born! So tell me, where are you from? And are all the males in your line so well-endowed?" she asked as she leaned over to brush a finger along his shaft. He was beginning to harden now, and her touch got the expected reaction. She smiled as his cock twitched against his thigh.

"I'm from…." Where could he say he was from, without arousing suspicion? She'd never believe the truth! He made a quick decision and gave her his answer. "I'm from the backwoods of Minnesota," he said, hoping that was a place she knew little about. "My brothers are all hung like stallions," he boasted.

"Well, that explains it! We haven't civilized that part of the world yet," she stated, and Jack breathed a sigh of relief.

Chairwoman Jennings leaned down once again, but this time she got on her knees and crawled over to him. Then she bent down and sniffed his privates like a bitch in heat. Jack found it disconcerting.

"Hey! I took a shower this morning," he said in his defense.

"You smell glorious!" she declared, as she straddled his upper legs. Then she cupped his balls in her left hand and grasped his fledgling erection in her right. Soon she had worked him into a state of full arousal. Once he was hard, she reached for a condom from the bedside table, opened it and put it on him. Then she scooted forward and impaled herself on him, expelling a low, satisfied growl as his cock slipped behind her cervix.

"Oh, yes! You are truly magnificent!" she cried as she lifted up and then plunged back down on him, squealing with delight as she felt the tip of his cock hit the back of her womb. She rode him slowly at first, pivoting her hips in large circles, while she used one manicured finger to diddle her clit. Her other hand gripped his shoulder, supporting her as she fucked herself on him.

Jack closed his eyes and imagined he was with his beautiful Carter. It wasn't hard to do, since he'd spent a lot of time daydreaming about her in the past ten years. In just a couple of minutes Jennings' movements sped up and became erratic, and Jack could feel her thighs quivering as she clutched his hips between them. Her mouth dropped open, and she began to chant, words that Jack didn't recognize, as she tipped her head back and squeezed her eyes shut.

And then suddenly she climaxed, a keening wail erupting from her throat as though she'd been stabbed clean through. Now that she was satisfied, Jack allowed himself to come.

Afterward, Jack thought he knew exactly how a prostitute must feel.

At the same time, down in the genetics lab, Sam was having trouble performing her first assignment. It was a simple task really, but Sam just couldn't bring herself to do it. She was standing next to a male subject with the suction apparatus in her hand, when Janet opened the door.

"Dr. Carter, don't you have that sample yet?" Dr. Frasier asked, sounding a bit peeved.

"Eh….no, not yet. He's not cooperating," Sam told her, deciding to blame her slowness on the man.

"Hey, I'm cooperating! It's her!" he yelled from the examining table onto which he was strapped. Sam suspected he didn't want to get into trouble. And she didn't want to cause him any trouble, but she simply couldn't bring herself to touch him!

"Samantha, what's the problem?" Janet asked her.

"I just can't, Jan…Dr. Frasier. I've never done this before. It's just so…so….disgusting!" she said finally. Actually it was more than disgusting, she felt it was a humiliating thing to do to the man. Hooking him up to a machine, as though he was a prized bull, just seemed so wrong!

"Okay, I'll let you off the hook this time, but I want you to watch. Maybe after you've seen it done a few times, you won't be so squeamish."

Janet took the suction device from Sam and, none too gently, stuffed the man's flaccid penis into it. Then she fastened the strap that held it into place around his hips. Once the machine was plugged in, she flipped a switch on the side and waited while the machine whirred and hummed. Soon the man was grunting and sweat was pouring off him. Then his head fell back and his eyes rolled up in his head, and for a full minute his body seemed to convulse, as both women watched. When he finally relaxed, he had a big grin on his face.

"That was a good un, doc," he said, smiling and showing his dirty teeth, but Janet just ignored him.

"See! There's nothing to it! He gets what he needs, and so do we," Janet said as she removed the device. The top of the contraption contained a chamber that caught the ejaculate. She unscrewed that portion and handed it to Sam.

"Here. I want you to take this sample to Dr. Kenyon, and she'll show you what to do with it. And don't be afraid to ask questions. We really need to find the docile gene, or all our jobs will be in jeopardy, not to mention our way of life."

"Yes, Ma'am." Sam took the round plastic container and hurried to the lab down the hall, relieved that Janet hadn't gotten angry at her. She hoped to avoid that particular job in the future. But if she couldn't, she would do whatever was necessary to gain the doctor's trust, just long enough to figure out a way for her and Jack to get out of here.

Later that afternoon she finally got a chance to ask about the isolation lab where she and Jack had been found.

"Did you hear about the incident in the isolation lab this morning?" Sam asked Dr. Kenyon. This woman was a lot older than Janet, possibly by twenty years or more. In fact, her age made her seem a little out of place here, since everyone else Sam had seen appeared to be in their twenties or thirties.

"Yes, I did. Was that you?" she asked, looking up from her microscope.

"Yes, it was. I was just arriving on base when the man tried to escape."

"It was very foolish of you to pursue him on your own. Men can be very aggressive, you know. That's why we're doing all of this…to find a way to make them less so."

Sam just nodded, as though she understood and agreed with everything the doctor said. She knew that men, when provoked, could be very aggressive, particularly when they were trying to defend their rights or the rights of others. And she saw nothing wrong with that. But she knew that pointing that out to Dr. Kenyon would only get her into trouble, so she kept her thoughts to herself. At least now she understood what they were trying to do here.

"I was wondering what that machine was that I saw in the isolation lab with him?"

"I have no idea, and I have no time to figure it out just now. I left it there and locked the door. It'll be safe in there for now. Or I should say, we'll be safe from it! I'll try to have a closer look at it one day, when I'm not so busy."

"Do you think I could have a look at it? Maybe I could figure it out. I like to tinker with stuff in my spare time," Sam explained, hoping this sounded like a reasonable request. She couldn't very well tell them she was a doctor of physics and not a medical doctor. If she did that, they'd probably send her packing!

"Of course! I'll tell Frasier to allow you time to look at it tomorrow morning. Just be sure to follow all the safety procedures, and don't remove it from the isolation room," the doctor warned her.

"Oh, I won't. I'll be very careful with it. I promise!" Sam smiled to herself. Now she felt like she was getting somewhere! She had to wonder how Jack was faring.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three

Just as he was wondering whether or not Chairwoman Jennings had been satisfied with his performance, Jack got a pleasant surprise.

"Guards! Unlock him," she called out, as she opened the door to the hallway. The two armed women came inside and unfastened the manacles that held Jack to the bedposts. Thankful that a sheet covered his lower half, he laid there on his back as the two women stood over him. Then stepped back, watching as Jack rubbed his wrists.

"Thank you," Jack said, looking at both of them, figuring that showing his gratitude was something else that would score him high marks with the women.

"Don't waste your breath on them; they don't care how you feel or what you think. Here, put these on," Jennings said, handing him what looked like a pair of blue silk pajamas. Jack pulled them on, wishing she'd also given him some underwear. But he had to admit that the fabric did feel nice against his bare skin.

"Now take him to the lab and have the doctor implant a security chip in his chest. I intend to keep him as my personal slave," she told them in a haughty voice.

"Hey, wait! Implant a chip? What is that? What are you going to do to me?" One woman grabbed his wrist and pulled, while the other held her gun pointed at his chest. "Wait!" he yelled, as they forced him toward the door.

"Don't struggle, or they'll be forced to stun you again, and then the General will never let me keep you. Violence is not allowed here, you know," Chairwoman Jennings explained. So Jack went along with the two women, hoping he would get a chance to escape, while thinking that these women were nuttier than fruit cakes. If they weren't being violent, then he didn't know the meaning of the word!

Sam was sitting on a stool at the far side of the laboratory, where she couldn't be seen from the doorway, when the two guards escorted Jack into the lab. They pushed him through the doorway, and then stood on either side of him, while one of them addressed the doctor in a monotone voice.

"Chairwoman Jennings wishes for you to put a security chip in this man," she told Dr. Kenyon.

Sam dipped her head, giving herself a clear line of sight under the equipment and to the door. She almost cried out when she saw Jack standing there.

"Oh, she does, does she? Damn, what a waste of a good specimen! He has a nice lean physique, good coloring and a pleasing appearance," the doctor said, as she opened Jack's mouth and looked inside. "Good teeth too," she added.

Jack allowed it, even though it made him feel like a horse about to be put up for auction. He had decided to obey and to observe, so as to learn as much about their society as he could. He needed to find their weakness if he was to escape, and he already had some idea of what one might be; most of them were unarmed.

"Loretta just got a new servant not three weeks ago, and already she's wanting another one," Dr. Kenyon commented sourly, shaking her head.

"The last one ran away and was terminated outside in 'no woman's land,'" one of the lab assistants volunteered.

"I know. I just get tired of her wasting the better specimens. And for what? I swear, a good fuck is all that woman thinks about," she complained bitterly.

Sam listened to the exchange, shocked, embarrassed and disgusted all at the same time. She also wondered what the woman meant by 'no woman's land'. She had said it as though it was a place.

"Okay, but tell Loretta that I can't keep doing this for her. She's either got to keep them chained up, or go without."

"Yes, Doctor," both guards replied in unison.

Sam thought that the two guards almost seemed to be in a trance or drugged or something. She also took note as to how they were dressed. All of the armed women she had seen had on these drab, gray jumpsuits, while the other women wore smart dresses and pant suits. No wonder her clothing had earned some frowns and curious stares! Her coveralls looked more like a guard's uniform, rather than something a doctor might wear. Perhaps she could do something about that tonight, but right now her attention was on Jack. Could she prevent them from implanting a security device in him? Did she dare try?

Sam slid off her stool and started toward the group. But before she could act, the doctor jerked open the top of the sleeveless shirt Jack was wearing and held a sort of gun to his upper left chest, directly over his heart. Sam stopped dead in her tracks as she heard a soft Ipffft/I from the gun, followed by a sudden IOuch!/I from Jack. He swayed on his feet, and the two guards reached out to support him. After a few seconds he waved them off, indicating that he didn't want or need their help.

"There! Now, should you try to escape again, the implant will cause your heart to stop momentarily, and you will pass out."

"Oh, that's nice," Jack said sarcastically. "What's wrong with you people; haven't you ever heard of equal rights for men and women?" Suddenly the doctor grabbed him through his clothing, cupping his cock and balls in her hand and squeezing firmly.

"Keep quiet, man, or I'll castrate you!" she growled at him.

"Okay, okay, don't get your panties in a bunch!" Jack yelled at her.

"Here's the remote control. Take him back to Chairwoman Jennings now, and tell her what I said," she instructed them, handing a small black object to one of the guards.

"Yes, doctor," the two women repeated once again. Then they herded Jack out of the lab.

"I wonder if Jennings has ever tried a vibrator," the same lab assistant remarked, snorting.

"At least THEY come in all sizes," another added, giggling.

"So true, but I think in HIS case she's found a man large enough to satisfy her," the doctor informed them with a lewd smile and wink.

"Ooh!" the two women squealed.

"Get back to work now. We've wasted enough time on this foolishness."

Sam blushed furiously upon hearing the doctor's words. She'd always wondered about Jack, and she was glad she'd heard their remarks, but this was certainly not the way she thought she'd find out about him! Sam took a few calming breaths and approached the doctor cautiously and with deference for the woman's position of authority over her. She wanted to ask Dr. Kenyon a few questions about the device that she'd implanted in Jack, just in case it became necessary for her to remove it.

"Doctor, I've completed extracting the sperm from the sample."

"Good!"

"Will you tell me about that implant you put in the male subject? Will it kill him if he tries to run away?"

"Not right away. It delivers an electric charge that will stop his heart long enough to render him unconscious. Then he can be caught. But if his master chooses, she can set the controller on full power and end his life."

Sam didn't trust herself to speak. She was very worried that Jack might try to escape and be killed. She realized then that she really needed to talk to him privately!

"You seem distressed by this information," the doctor remarked, looking at Sam speculatively.

"Oh, no. I was just thinking about something else. I miss my sisters and my mother," Sam lied. Dr. Kenyon nodded her head in sympathy, and Sam went back to her assignment, hoping she'd find a way to talk to Jack after her shift was over.

It was late that same day when Dr. Kenyon made a special trip to General Taylor's office.

"So you suspect that this Dr. Carter is a male rights advocate? It would certainly make sense that she was sent here by the MRA to spy on us. I found no record of her being assigned here by anyone in Western Command."

"Yes, General, I'm afraid I do. She's not performed well, and she seemed unnaturally concerned for one of the test subjects today. She also expressed interest in the strange machine that was found with her in the isolation lab."

"I see. Alright, you have my permission to do a memory stamp on her. I will tell Chairwoman Tso to expect a new recruit for the security department," the general said from her seat behind the big wooden desk.

"But General, what if I'm wrong?"

"Don't be concerned, Kenyon, and do not blame yourself. It is I who must make the difficult decision. You have given me reason to distrust her….reason enough to bar her from working in any other capacity other than a guard, a servant or as a test subject. Once she's stamped, she will lose much of her previous knowledge, not just her ability to think for herself. It is regretful, but necessary."

"Go now and get it done soon! I don't want anything to ruin our chances of finding a cure for the menace that plagues our sisters who live on the outside!"

"Yes, General. I'll take care of it first thing tomorrow morning when she reports to work." Dr. Kenyon hung her head in sorrow as she left her CO's office. She felt sorry that she'd had to turn Carter in, but she just couldn't risk the chance that she might be a spy or a terrorist.

After her shift ended, Sam asked for and received enough money to buy a nice pant suit from the base store. In her assigned quarters, which she shared with five other lab workers, she put on her new clothing and joined the group when they headed for the mess hall.

After eating as much as she could manage with her nervous stomach, Sam complained that she had a backache from sitting on a stool all day long. In truth she was just using her back as an excuse to leave the group and do some exploring on her own.

"Why don't you go to the gym?" one of the women suggested. "A good workout always helps me feel better."

"That's a good idea. Where is it?" Sam liked the idea. Not only would it give her an excuse to wander the halls, but she really could use something to relieve some of the stress she was feeling.

She had tried not to dwell on it, but the idea that the general was having sex with Chairwoman Jennings kept creeping into her thoughts. It made her feel jealous, as well as angry that the woman would take advantage of Jack that way. Sam knew he'd do whatever he had to in order to stay alive, but Sam couldn't help but recall the feelings she'd had years earlier, when he had been stranded on another planet with a woman named Laira. But at least that time she hadn't known what was going on between the two of them until it was over.

"It's the second right from the elevator on level fourteen. There are workout clothes there that you can check out. Just ask the attendant for your size," another woman told her.

"Thanks!" Sam left the group and headed to the elevator. She would go to the gym later, but first she had decided to take a look at every level of the base she could. And tomorrow she'd have access to Merlyn's time dilation device! Sam felt confident that she was making progress toward getting her and Jack home. Now if only she could talk to him and tell him her news!

General Landry looked at Dr. Lee and frowned. This news wasn't what he wanted to hear.

"I'm sorry, General, but I can't replicate Merlyn's device. I don't know enough about how it works to do that! And without it, there is no way I can get Sam and General O'Neill back. She is the only one who can do that," Bill Lee admitted.

"Are you saying that the device went wherever Jack and Sam went?" Landry asked hopefully.

"Yes, I would be willing to bet that it did."

"Well that's one good thing. At least if Sam has the device in her possession, she will have a chance to reverse the process that sent them to wherever they are."

"Yes, that's true, unless something prevents her from having access to the device."

"We'll just have to pray that doesn't happen, Doctor."

"Yes, Sir."

Meanwhile, Sam had just made a discovery that caused her to want to jump for joy. Chairwoman Jennings and General O'Neill were in the gym!

Sam had already changed into the stretchy top and matching blue shorts, when she sauntered into the large room filled with all sorts of exercise equipment. And when she saw Jack standing next to the rowing machine where Chairwoman Jennings sat, her heart jumped up into her throat.

She knew he hadn't seen her in the lab earlier, but she'd seen him, and what she noticed the most was how great he looked in the sleeveless top and the loose-fitting, matching silk pants. They were tied at his waist by a drawstring, and the top was tucked down into the pants, leaving his bulging groin easily discernable. Sam had never seen him looking so strong and healthy, or so sexy. His arms looked positively buffed in that shirt, and his abs were obviously flat, making the bulge down below look even larger.

Sam kept her eyes on the floor, as she walked over to a cycle and climbed onto the seat. She pedaled slowly at first, letting her leg muscles warm up. Then she sped up, glancing at Jack every chance she got. He was glancing at her now too, but she could see that he also scanned the entire room as he stood with his back to the wall.

Finally, when the meter on the stationary bike read about five miles, Sam saw Jennings get up and go into the locker room. Sam quickly dismounted, while sending Jack a message with her eyes. She wanted to talk to him, and the only way she thought she could was if she could arrange to need his help. With that in mind, she laid down on the weight bench, and then she ordered him to hand her one of the weights.

"Hey, you! Give me a hand here," she requested in a loud, firm voice. She hoped she sounded forceful and in charge, just in case anyone was paying attention.

Jack stepped over to the head of the bench and stood looking down at Sam.

"Nice outfit, Sir," she said quietly, smiling up at him. His groin was just above her head, and a big part of her wanted to reach up and fondle it. She could imagine pulling on that tie, and watching as his pants fell down around his slim ankles. Then she pictured him bending over her, while she tipped her head back off the end of the bench, allowing him to slide his swollen cock down her throat.

Sam mentally pried herself away from her libidinous imaginings, forcing herself to focus once again on her assignment, which was to get them back home ASAP.

"How many pounds to start, Ma'am?" Jack asked politely, staring boldly down her top, while ignoring her playful comment.

"Forty to start," she told him, looking over her head at his smirking face. Jack slid the appropriate weights on each end, fastening them in place.

"Fly weight," Jack accused quietly, as he handed down the barbell.

"No time for insults, Sir. I'll be working on Merlyn's device tomorrow morning."

"How soon before you can get us out of here?" he asked in a calm, deep voice.

"Not sure yet. Will know more by tomorrow afternoon," she said, grunting as she lowered and lifted the weights down to her chest and back up. "Sir, there's something else I've got to tell you," she began.

Just then Chairwoman Jennings came out of the locker room. She saw Jack standing close to Sam and flew into a rage.

"Man! What are you doing? Get away from her!" she yelled, her expression angry and accusing.

Jack took the weight from Sam's hands, placed it in the cradle and then stepped back to the wall, as the irate woman swept over to them.

"Explain yourself!" she yelled at Jack.

"It was my fault, Ma'am. I asked him to help me with the weights," Sam explained from her seat on the weight bench.

"And just who do you think you are, asking my servant to do your bidding?"

"I'm really sorry, Chairwoman Jennings. It won't happen again," Sam avowed.

"Well, it had better not, or I'll see to it that you're punished. Now come along, man. I'm feeling stressed out again. You'll have to work really hard to make me feel better," she said, pouting.

"I will do my very best, Ma'am," Jack told her. As he followed the dark-haired woman out of the room, he turned and gave Sam a wink and a smile.

But Sam didn't smile back. She didn't feel like smiling, because ONE, she had failed to warn Jack about the deadly setting on the implant, and TWO, because she was fairly certain that he was about to have sex with that woman.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter four.

The second Jack woke up the next morning and the morning after, he worried about whether or not Sam was having any luck with Merlyn's device. But then he became distracted. Loretta Jennings was the most demanding woman Jack had ever known, and not all of her demands were easily met. She particularly liked bondage…HIS bondage, while she stalked around the room wearing black leather and wielding a whip, dripping candle, a branding iron or something else intended to cause him fear and possible pain. She beat him a few times both days, across the back and buttocks, but not hard enough to break the skin.

In between whippings she almost seemed repentant, and then she would rub his sore, aching body with soothing oils and sing songs to him. And of course she would spend a lot of time massaging his cock, until it was hard and throbbing. But she wouldn't get him off right away. One of her favorite activities was to see how long she could keep him aroused without letting him come. And of course Jack had to try hard to please her, no pun intended.

It was those times that she was the most cruel to him, getting him hard and then placing a cock ring tightly around the base of his erection. Then she would make him lay on his belly, while she fucked his ass with whatever struck her fancy. After the first time, when she used the handle of the whip, Jack didn't even look to see what she was using. He just closed his eyes and strained at his bindings, wishing they would break so that he could give this demonical dominatrix some of her own medicine. He knew he had that thing in his chest, and that she could kill him with it in an instant, but all he cared about at that moment was hurting the witch!

And the woman was as strong as many men he knew. When she fucked him, she never fucked him gently. It always seemed to be a matter of do or die to her. She'd work him up until he couldn't take much more, and then she'd climb aboard and ride him hard. The few times that he'd actually been on top, she had wrapped her legs around his middle so tightly, that he thought she would break him in two. She obviously didn't like for the man to be in charge…not ever. Jack figured this was probably a reflection of her society's hatred and distrust of men in general. One time when he'd trapped her hands up by her head, she had glared at him and swore that she would kill him if he didn't let her go that instant. He could see the anger in her eyes, and he didn't doubt for one second that she would do exactly as she said, so he released her hands. He knew when someone was wacko and would do exactly what they said they would do. He WAS that sort of person.

After spending the better part of the two days satisfying Loretta Jennings' deviant cravings, Jack was feeling tired and cranky.

IGod, doesn't this woman ever get tired of having sex?/I he asked himself as he stepped out of the shower in her private quarters. He was worn out, but he wasn't too tired, or too intimidated, to protest when Loretta ordered him to get a haircut.

"Why?" He didn't like the idea of anyone messing with his hair…no one except the base barber at Peterson, that is.

"I want you to look nice tonight at the general's dinner party," she stated, sitting erect in a flowered, silk kimono. She was holding her hands out in front of her, so that a female slave could polish her finger nails. Jack thought the young slave woman acted like she was in some sort of drug-induced trance, just like the guards who Jack had tried to interview on several occasions. They had been totally unresponsive, and Jack was convinced that they were either drugged or brain-washed, or both.

"Oh, alright. Who's gonna work on this mess? You?" he asked as he stared into the big bathroom mirror, running his fingers through his graying locks. His hair was sticking up in fifty different directions, just as it always did.

Loretta smiled in his direction and chuckled, as she sat waving her newly painted nails in the air.

"No, not me, you silly man! I've sent for someone." Just then there was a knock at the door.

"Come in!" Loretta shouted, watching as the door opened and a blonde woman walked in carrying a small case. "He's there, in the bathroom," Loretta told her, waving her hand in Jack's general direction. "He looks like someone's pet dog. Please see if you can tame those wild locks of his, will you? But don't cut it too short. I prefer having something on top to grab onto when we're fucking," she said, seemingly devoid of all sexual inhibition. The blonde woman disappeared into the bathroom, and Loretta turned her attention back to her nails.

When Jack saw the woman's reflection in the mirror, he almost shouted. But instead he grabbed her free hand and pulled her toward him, giving her a big hug.

"Carter, are you a sight for sore eyes!" he cried enthusiastically but quietly, his face buried in her neck. Then he pulled back and stared into her eyes, while holding her at arm's length. "What happened with Merlyn's machine?" he asked. Her eyes looked at him blankly, and he received no answer.

"Carter? Sam, what is it? What's wrong?" When she still didn't answer, he shook her. He had a very sick feeling in his gut.

"Nothing's wrong. I'm here to give you a haircut. If you'll just sit over here, I'll begin," she said evenly, her expression unresponsive. It was as though she didn't know who he was! Jack suddenly felt like a big drain had opened under him and he was swirling around and around, heading for the opening.

"Sam, it's me, Jack! Don't you know me?" he asked. But instead of an answer, all he got was a dull stare, her blue eyes looking glazed and empty. Still holding her by both arms, and hoping he could shock some sense into her, Jack bent down and kissed her on the lips. Her lips were warm and soft but unresponsive.

When he straightened up, he saw Chairwoman Jennings standing in the bathroom doorway, and she was staring at them with a thunderous expression on her face. He let go of Sam's arms and stepped away from her, just as two guards ran into the room. He knew then that Jennings must have brought Sam here deliberately to test him.

"How dare you! I saved you from the mines, and this is the way you repay me?" she asked, shouting at Jack. But before he could respond, she aimed her anger at Sam. "And YOU! Apparently slavery was not a harsh enough punishment for your lies. Guards, take this woman back to the lab! Tell Dr. Kenyon the mind stamp hasn't taught her a lesson."

"What do you want them to do with her, Mistress?" one of the guards asked.

"They can use her as a test subject, for all I care. I certainly don't want to see her back here again."

"NO! Don't take her!" The instant Jack reached out for Sam, Loretta pressed down on the remote control she was holding in her hand. Jack put a hand to his chest and grimaced in pain, falling unconscious to the floor.

"What about him?" one guard asked, as the other one pushed Sam out of the room.

"Take him away! I don't care what you do with him. The lab can dissect him, for all I care. Just get him out of my sight!" Loretta screamed, waving her arms, the sleeves of her kimono flapping about like the wings of a giant heron about to take flight.

When Jack awakened he was in a cold, gray cell much like the first one, although this time Sam wasn't anywhere in sight. In fact, this time he wasn't alone in the cell, and the cell next to his was occupied too. Jack sat up and looked around at the three other men, wondering why they were here. Shouldn't they be entertaining their mistresses or toiling away in the mines?

He got up and walked over to a fit-looking young man who was standing, leaning against the wall. Jack guessed he was about twenty-five or so.

"So, what are you in for?" Jack asked. The man looked puzzled.

"I mean what place is this?" It clearly wasn't the brig.

"This is the holding cell for those of us chosen to serve in the genetics lab."

"Like hell I will! In fact, I think I'll be breaking out of here," Jack snarled. He could pick the lock in a couple of seconds. It was getting those guards to leave the outer chamber while he did it that would be the problem.

"We can't get out of here, man! Even if we could, what would we do on the outside?"

"My name's Jack. And I don't give a rat's ass what I do out there, as long as I have some say in the matter! What's it like outside?" Jack asked. He didn't think it could be any worse than in here.

"It's harsh, Jack. In the cities men have no rights at all. There are no laws to prevent women from treating us any way they like. At least in here there are military regulations," he said, nodding.

"Military regulations? What do you mean?" Jack knew a lot about those in HIS world, but so far he had seen no resemblance to his world in this place.

"Holy Mother, man, don't you know anything? In here we have a chance to redeem ourselves."

"How? Why should we?"

"Because we're flawed, man! By donating our sperm for research, we can gain the right to work as a slave for one of the officers or one of the chairwomen," he said, the idea obviously appealing to him. Jack shook his head in consternation. Were the men here all nuts too?!

"Been there, done that." Well he hadn't done the sperm donation thing, but he'd certainly worked for one of the chairwomen. In fact, he'd fucked her till he thought his balls would burst!

"You donated sperm before?"

"No, I worked for Chairwoman Jennings." Jack chucked to himself, thinking that she must be the source of the term BALL BUSTER, because that's exactly what she was.

"You were a slave to one of them?" the man asked, his curiosity peaked by Jack's admission.

"Yah, I was…for two glorious days," Jack said caustically, but the young man obviously didn't get the sarcasm.

"But why are you here now? What happened?" The man obviously couldn't understand why Jack would mess up the opportunity that had been given him.

"Let's just say I saw someone I liked a lot better than Jennings."

"Another woman?" Jack just nodded. "Wow, when you screw up, you do it big time!" the man exclaimed.

"Yah, I seem to have a habit of doing that. Listen, if I were to try and break out of here, could I depend on your help?" Jack asked hopefully.

"No! There's no way I'll ruin my chances of being chosen as a personal slave," he said sincerely. "You should try to get chosen again, or else you'll be sent to the mines for sure," he told Jack with a worried expression on his face.

Jack was considering what the man had told him, when one of the guards got a phone call. After she hung up, she came over and unlocked the cell door.

"You! Come with us," she said, as she poked a stun gun in Jack's ribs.

"Alright, alright! Keep your panties on!" he retaliated. The woman shoved the gun into his ribs even harder and glared at him.

"You will come with us without any trouble, and your life will be spared. If you resist, you will be killed instantly. Is that clear?" she asked, as she held out her other hand and showed him the remote control device.

"Yah, it's clear. See ya round, buddy," Jack told the younger man. The man simply shook his head, as if to say he thought Jack was the crazy one.

Jack walked between the two guards, scanning his surroundings carefully, as he always did when he was planning something. Several women passed him, heading in the opposite direction. They were wearing the outfits that the leaders all wore…nice clothes in vibrant colors. In several rooms, where the doors stood open, he could see women bent over control panels. They had white smocks or lab coats over their outfits, and they paid no attention to him or to his escort, as though they had no fear that he might break free and attack them. He thought there seemed to be too few guards for the size of the place, and that fact made him feel encouraged. Maybe he could break out! If he could just get hold of that remote control, then at least he wouldn't have to worry about someone using it to stop him. But then he thought about Sam. He wouldn't leave without her. He finally decided that now was not the time to try and escape.

After riding down several levels in the elevator, they arrived at the science labs, where he was turned over to a white-coated lab assistant who told him to undress, before asking him to lay down on an examining table. Jack complied, noting that the two guards remained in the room, standing next to the door, even after he was strapped down. Only a couple of minutes passed before the door slid open and someone he recognized came into the room.

Jack was astonished to see none other than Dr. Janet Frasier, and for a minute he forgot that it wasn't the one he had known.

"Janet!" Jack cried, unable to hide his surprise and delight at seeing her.

"I don't believe you know me well enough to call me by my first name, man. Or do you disagree?" she challenged, sounding affronted. Many men had come through the lab in the six years she'd been here, but she didn't recall ever giving any of them permission to use her first name! Nor did she think that any of them would be so presumptuous as to do so! This one certainly had balls!

"Yes! I mean sort of," Jack corrected, realizing he had spoken in error. This was not HIS Dr. Frasier, and he knew it. Now if only he could think of a way to explain his little mistake. He decided on a story and hoped that she wouldn't catch him in the lie.

"I'm very sorry, Ma'am. I just thought… When they brought me here for the implant, I saw you and I couldn't help but notice how lovely you are. I thought maybe you could use a good servant….someone to cater to your every wish?" he asked. "I would really like the opportunity to get to know you better," he said, giving her his best pick-up smile. It had worked for him for many years, and he prayed it would work now.

"Oh, you would, would you?" She looked at his handsome face and couldn't help but smile back. She had to admit that she found him very attractive, but she really had no time for a man in her life right now, what with her lab work and the boys.

"Yes, I really would," Jack said, nodding and smiling up at her. Then his attention was drawn to the thing in her hands….the thing she had just lifted from a nearby instrument cart. To Jack it looked like some sort of giant cake decorating tube, only with an electric cord coming out of one end. He watched curiously as she untwisted the small end, and he gasped in shock as she placed the end over his penis. After screwing the locking cap back into place, she flipped the ON switch, and the machine began to squeeze and massage his penis, as it pulsed and vibrated.

"Oh, shit!" Jack had fooled around with some sex toys in his day, but he'd never used anything like this! "Take it off, doc, please," he begged, not wanting to embarrass himself in front of her and the other women. But she simply stood back and watched, while Jack fought to keep himself from exploding. However, it wasn't long before he realized he was fighting a losing battle. Finally giving in to his animals instincts, he came hard, grunting until his life's essence filled the plastic vessel to the brim.

When he was finished, Janet unscrewed the fitting and carefully removed the device from Jack's penis. Then she removed the sperm receptacle from the machine and handed it to her assistant saying, "Be careful! Do not spill any. It is overly full, and I would not want to waste any of what this subject has to offer."

"Yes, Ma'am. He is indeed a real find, is he not?"

"He is that!" Janet agreed, smiling at her assistant. "He may be just the specimen we've been looking for. Get the sample to Dr. Kenyon immediately, and tell Jeffreys to prepare the test subject for insemination. Now, let's get that implant out of his chest, shall we? We wouldn't want anything bad to happen to this one."

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter five

Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell was worried that he'd never get the band back together again. It had been weeks since Daniel had been taken by the Ori and days since Vala had been disappeared. And now Sam had disappeared along with General O'Neill! Only Teal'c was left to share his grief, but all the big guy wanted to do was meditate. The last thing Cameron wanted to do was sit still, so he headed for his CO's office.

He knocked lightly on the open door, feeling unsure whether or not he should bother the man right now. Landry looked pensive. And then his head jerked up, and he gave Cameron a little look which made him regret the intrusion even more.

"Sir, sorry to bother you, but I was just wondering…" He knew there was really no sense in asking; if Landry had heard anything, he would have told him.

"Me too, Mitchell. I've been wondering about quite a few things myself," Hank affirmed cryptically, waving the younger man over to a chair. What he'd been wondering about a lot lately was what ever possessed him to accept this position? He'd been CO at a quiet little base in Wyoming, when the call came that they wanted someone to head up a secret facility in Colorado. And instead of playing it safe, he had said he was interested. Now he thought his response had been a bit hasty. Maybe if he'd found out more about what went on here first… But he knew the subject was moot; it was too late for doubts now.

Cameron sat down in one of the two chairs facing Landry's desk.

"Wondering about what, Sir, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Why I'm here, to name just one," Hank said with an ironic laugh.

"I think we've all wondered about that from time to time, Sir," Cameron told him. "Me, I just figure I haven't quite paid my dues yet. The man upstairs wants me to suffer a little more first, before bringing me home," he said with a laugh.

He'd been raised in the South in a strict, religious family, and for the most part he still believed in the things he'd been taught as a child. The only thing he couldn't buy any longer was the self-centered notion that man was created in His image. What about the Asgard or the Nox? They were much smarter than humans and they were good folks too, so wasn't it possible they were closer to who or what God really was?

"I know what you mean, Colonel." And he did too. In fact, he was beginning to wonder what horrible things he'd done to deserve this much grief.

"How long before they're declared MIA?" Cameron asked, unable to push the thought from his mind.

"Not long now," Landry replied sadly. "I don't know about you, Mitchell, but I could sure use a change of scenery. What say we get out of here and have dinner at O'Malley's?"

"I'd like that, Sir."

In a genetics lab in another reality a blonde woman was laying on an examining table with her feet in stirrups, while doctors Frasier and Kenyon hovered around her like two worker bees buzzing around their queen. The doctors didn't usually work so late. In fact they were both supposed to be at a party at the general's home in less than an hour. But the urgency of their work, plus the fact that they had just found two perfect specimens for the procedure, had caused them to put their personal lives on hold for the time being. Even the promise of a nude, all male review at the party hadn't been enough to get them to postpone the experiment they were about to begin.

"It is just as you predicted. These sperm are very healthy, AND they are still very mobile too, even after the splicing procedure," Eve Kenyon said with glee, as she checked the sample under her microscope one final time.

"I just hope the modification will produce what we want this time. That last experiment was a total failure," Janet said with sorrow. She had felt totally crushed when she witnessed the two male children showing signs of aggression. She'd had so much hope that they had finally succeeded, so finding out they'd have to start over once again had been a bitter pill to swallow.

"This time just has to be a success!" Janet stated fervently.

"I have a really good feeling about this one," Eve told her.

The young woman on the table looked on with only slight interest, as one of the doctors inserted a long glass tube deep into her vagina. A few seconds later it was withdrawn.

"There! All done, Samantha! Now just remain still. It's very important that you don't get up for a while. Relax and I'll check on you in a little while," Janet said, as she helped Samantha lower her legs. Then she covered her with a warm blanket and gave her arm an affectionate pat.

Janet had hated losing the woman as a lab assistant, but she'd been thrilled when she was told that she could use her as a test subject. Samantha was healthy, smart and very pretty, and she was exactly the type of person they needed for this experiment. Unfortunately they oftentimes got stuck with dimwitted, plain women who weren't even qualified to be servants. Here in the genetics program Samantha would lead a pampered life, as long as she was fertile and produced healthy offspring.

After that, her fate would be the same as every other woman. Once you lost your youth and your beauty, and unless you had some special skills or knowledge, you lost you place in society. Then you were sent to work in the mines alongside the men. She heard that women sent there were raped and mistreated by their fellow workers, as well as by the guards.

Everyone knew, because they had been told since childhood, that citizens sent to the mines didn't live very long; it was the same as a death sentence, a fact that disturbed Janet greatly. No one knew what was mined there, or why mining was so important. They were just told that it was. Janet suspected that there was a lot more they weren't being told, but she didn't dare ask questions, for fear that her dedication to the cause would be questioned, and then she'd lose everything she'd worked for. And then even her intelligence would not be enough to keep her out of those dreaded mines.

Jack was back in the jail cell and wondering where Sam was, when the handsome young man from earlier that day approached him.

"You're back! I didn't expect to be seeing you again," he admitted.

"Why's that?"

"Well, a man your advanced age is usually sent to the mines first thing. So where did they take you?" he asked.

"To some lab. I think these women have a thing for my dick," Jack chuckled.

"Oh, THAT lab. Yeah, I've been there….quite a few times actually. Wouldn't mind going back, to tell you the truth," he admitted, grinning from ear to ear. "It makes me feel good to know those little beggars of mine are out there someplace," he said, waving one hand toward the door.

"Your what? Beggars?"

"My kids…offspring…progeny. That's why they take your sperm. Didn't you know? They play with it under their microscopes. Then they put it inside a woman and voila! Nine months later you're a father. …most likely of a daughter, although you never know for sure, 'cause you never get to see the kid or find out anything about them. I've got three kids that I know of," he stated proudly. "I hope they're girls, so they won't suffer the same fate as me."

Jack's face fell. Right now some woman could be pregnant with his baby, and he'd never even touched her! And what was worse was that he'd never know his child, nor would his child know him. The thought made him feel sick inside, as though he was losing Charlie all over again. His son had been only ten when he'd accidentally shot himself with Jack's sidearm. Jack and his wife had separated in the aftermath of their son's death. He would never get over the loss, but at least, thanks to his job and the friends he had made at the SGC, he had been able to stop thinking about it on a daily basis.

But now there would be one more thing to try and forget, unless there was some way he could find out who the woman was. Then, of course, he'd need to escape with her and find someplace where they could live, away from these barbaric women! But he wasn't stupid. The odds of doing any of that were overwhelmingly against him, and he knew it. This place was a lunatic asylum, and the nuts were in charge.

Jack finally noticed that the young man was addressing him.

"Hey, I asked you where you're from? Where were you born?" he repeated.

"In Chicago," Jack replied without thinking.

"What a coincidence! That's where I was born, but I haven't heard it called by that name in years."

"Oh really? What's it called?" Jack asked, a look of disbelief on his face. To him it was unthinkable that the great landmark city could be called anything else but Chicago!

"Clinton City," the man replied. At Jack's puzzled look he attempted to explain. "Man, don't you remember? About four years ago it was renamed for the president. …the first female president of the North American Democratic Union."

"Oh, yah. How could I forget that wonderful fact?" Jack asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Jack had been shocked to hear that his hometown had been renamed, and for a woman too! But then he reminded himself that a lot of things were simply wrong here. In this world women might be in power, but they weren't doing such a good job, and more importantly they weren't invincible. Jack was certain that he could escape. And when he did, he was going to find the woman who was carrying his child, and he was going to take care of her, either here or in his own reality. And what's more, if he had anything to say about it, his child was not going to grow up thinking his or her father was no better than a lab rat! He was a MAN, God damn it! And he was proud of it!

After the two doctors left her side, Sam looked around her, wondering why she couldn't remember much of anything. She knew her name was Samantha, but other than that, her memories were confusing and somewhat contradictory. She felt she shouldn't be here. She needed to be doing something else…..something very important. She needed to be someplace else, but she had no idea where that someplace was. Panic was beginning to set in, and she almost got up from the table. Only the doctor's warning kept her there.

Why was she here? What had they just done to her? She lifted her head a bit and looked down at her body. She wasn't in any pain, but she thought she could feel an odd sort of gurgling inside, down there where they'd put that tube. Did the funny feeling have something to do with the experiment the two women had talked about? What had they done to her? Suddenly, just when she began to grow fearful of what had happened, a calming thought came to her. She suddenly knew without a doubt that the experiment was important to the cause…HER cause. The doctors weren't hurting her; they were allowing her to participate in a very worthwhile project.

A short while later the petite doctor came back and gave her an injection. Then she told her to get up and follow her. The woman led her to a room where several other women lay peacefully sleeping. Sam got into bed with very little coaxing, feeling tired and ready to sleep.

The last thing she thought about before drifting off was a tall, thin man with graying hair. She recalled then that he was the man whose hair she had been assigned to cut. She smiled to herself as she recalled the kiss he'd given her. Then she felt into a deep, dreamless sleep.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter six

After nine days the memory stamp was wearing off, and now Sam could recall almost everything that had happened to her since she'd arrived here, and some of it made her very angry. The one thing that she hated the most was that she had been violated! And not only that, the doctor had just informed her that she was pregnant!

"You had no right to do that to me!" Sam screamed, thrashing on the examining table. She was bound to it, otherwise she would have probably throttled Dr. Frasier and her assistant without even a second thought.

"You came to this facility illegally. You passed yourself off as something you are not; I could tell after the first hour that you weren't really a doctor. Then you were given an opportunity to serve one of our most esteemed leaders, and you threw that opportunity back in her face."

"But you don't understand. It's true I don't belong here. I'm from an alternate reality," Sam told her in a pleading voice. She hadn't intended to tell anyone the truth, but now she felt she had no other alternative. She was being used as a guinea pig in a genetics experiment, and Jack was….well, she wasn't sure where he was anymore. All she knew was that she had to find him and get out of there!

"Honey, I've heard a lot of excuses before, but I have to admit THAT one takes the cake!" Janet said, laughing. "Now, I want you to get some rest."

"But I don't want to rest! I want to go home!" Sam yelled, struggling uselessly. The doctor quickly injected something into Sam's arm.

"There. I've given you something to help you relax. I can't have you hurting yourself and that precious embryo you're carrying."

"Janet, please," Sam sobbed as the drug took effect. Sam felt her eyelids getting heavy, and then she fell into a dream-filled sleep.

***In her dream she was giving birth in a room enclosed by glass windows, and outside the room people were lined up to watch. Among them stood a man whose face she could not see, but she knew instinctively that he was her baby's father. Sam struggled to get off the delivery table, to run to him, to beg him to help her. She didn't want the birth of her child to be like a sideshow at some sick carnival! But she couldn't stop what was happening, and Janet….this warped copy of her lost friend.…just kept yelling at her to push. Suddenly Sam heard a baby crying, and even though she tried, she couldn't see it. Instead she saw a woman carrying a small bundle from the room, and then Sam couldn't hear her baby crying anymore. Her child had been taken away from her, while she lay there unable to prevent it. She felt heart-sick and devastated.***

Sam woke up in a cold sweat to find herself in a small, quiet bedroom, tucked into a clean, comfortable bed. She was no longer restrained, and so she got up and went to the door, padding over to it in her bare feet. To her surprise the door was unlocked, so she opened it a few inches and peeked out. In the next room there were three young women, and they were sitting at a table eating and talking quietly. These were not the same women she'd shared a room with the previous few nights, and a part of Sam wondered what had happened to those women. But she didn't dwell on them for long, as the dark haired one turned and saw Sam.

"Hey there, sleepy head! Come and eat your breakfast before it gets cold," she said, gesturing to Sam with one hand.

Sam went over and sat down at the table where there was a covered plate of food, which apparently was intended for her.

"My name is Samantha. Who are you?" Each woman took a turn introducing herself. The brunette's name was Charlotte, the middle one was named Rosa, and the youngest woman's name was Amie.

After introductions, Sam dug into her breakfast, and soon she had eaten every last bite. She also emptied the big glass of milk provided for her.

"It looks like someone's eating for two," Charlotte observed in a sing-song voice, laughing at Sam. The other two women joined in.

It was then that Sam first noticed their swollen bellies. She seemed to be in some sort of housing for pregnant women. Sam was in shock. She had gone, almost overnight, from being a soldier and a scientist to being nothing more than a baby-making machine in some sick, twisted experiment intended to rob men of their masculinity!

"Yes, I guess I am," Sam agreed. It still seemed strange to think of herself as pregnant, although a part of her was beginning to like the idea. But even so, she had more pressing matters on her mind right now, and the main one was locating Jack.

"Say, do you know what happened to Chairwoman Jennings' male servant? I heard he was dismissed."

"Which one? She's had five in just the past year," Charlotte told her, rolling her eyes. The other two women giggled appreciatively.

"They usually get assigned as a slave to someone else, or they get sent to the mines when no one wants them anymore," Rosa informed her.

"Or, if they're handsome, young and fertile, they're chosen to donate sperm, so that we can make beautiful babies!" Amie cried, obviously happy with her situation. Sam noticed that the other two women also looked pleased, a fact that made Sam's blood boil. These women's rights had been taken away, and yet they acted like they were perfectly fine with it!

"Why do you ask?" Charlotte asked Sam, her expression one of concern.

"Oh, it's not really important. It's just that I'm a friend of his… his sister," she said, quickly adjusting her story to fit the norms of this anti-male society.

"Well, you can be sure he was dealt with fairly. General Taylor uses the mines only as a last resort," Charlotte assured her.

Sam was glad to hear that, although she wasn't certain it was the truth. And what kind of mines were they? So far no one had been able to tell her.

"What kind of ore do they get from the mines?" she asked curiously. The three looked at her as thought she had two heads.

"How should we know? It's not our place to ask such questions. Surely you know that," Rosa admonished her. Sam thought all the women here seemed to be living in denial, or they were just plain stupid, but of course she didn't say so.

"So tell me, what are the rules around this place? Are we allowed to leave here?"

"Yes, we can go anywhere on this level we want, and we can go down to the lab by ourselves for our checkups once a week," Charlotte informed her.

"And once a week we get to go topside to sit in the sun!" Amie exclaimed with childlike enthusiasm.

Sam smiled at her, but her heart wasn't in it. She didn't see how this young woman could be so happy under these circumstances. They were prisoners; couldn't they see that?

Soon a female servant came in and picked up all the dirty dishes, while the women moved about the room, each choosing something different to pass the time. Amie sat at a computer, playing games; Charlotte was crocheting something using soft pink yarn; and Rosa was strumming an acoustic guitar and singing softly. Before the servant left the room, Sam asked for and received a cup of herbal tea. She sipped it slowly, while she listened to Rosa's songs. Soon she found herself near to tears.

Even though the songs were intended to be romantic ballads, they seemed sad and only added to Sam's feeling of hopelessness…both for herself and for these women and their babies. Not one of them knew who the father of her child was, and not one of the children would ever have a relationship with his or her father. It was just so unfair and horrible that Sam became even more determined to escape. Even if she couldn't get to Jack, she was going to get back home somehow. Maybe then a contingent of marines could be sent to rescue him. But first she needed to get out of here and find Merlyn's device!

That afternoon Sam announced she was going for a stroll, when in reality she intended to do much more than that. To her disappointment, one of her new friends insisted on going along. But after she thought about it for a minute, Sam decided she didn't mind if Amie went along, since she thought it might make her snooping appear more innocent.

"Amie, how do you get to the medical lab for your physical, if you don't have a pass key for the elevator?"

"Oh, that's easy! We just use the stairs! They're right back there," she said, pointing.

"Show me!" Sam thought that maybe she'd do a little exploring downstairs today too, and she thought it would look less suspicious if she took along a friend. What she really wanted to do was go down to the isolation lab. So when they got to the stairwell door, she opened it and stepped through.

"Samantha, you can't go down there until it's time for you to see Dr. Frasier," Amie said, looking very nervous.

"Why not? What harm would it do? I just want to see if there are any babies in the nursery. You'd like to see them too, wouldn't you, Amie?" Sam asked, guessing this might be a topic that would entice the younger woman.

"Yes, I would, but…"

"Then come on!" Sam took Amie's hand and pulled her along, descending the flight of metal stairs. But when Sam reached the second level down, she stopped and tried the door that led into the corridor where the isolation labs were located. It was unlocked.

"Samantha, no!" Amie squeaked, but Sam put a finger over her lips and shushed her.

"I just wanna take a quick peek in here," she said as she grabbed Amie's hand and tugged. "If you come with me, I promise we'll go see the babies next," Sam swore.

"Okay, but if we get caught, I'll tell them this was all your idea," Amie threatened.

"That's fine with me," Sam assured her. "Just be quiet and don't touch anything."

Amie followed along behind Sam, and soon they were standing at the door to the lab where Sam and Jack had arrived in this reality. As expected, Sam found that this door was locked.

"You can't get in there," Amie whispered. Then she watched in awe silence as Sam removed a fork from her pants pocket.

Sam bent some of the tines back and used the others to pick the lock, which was the old-fashioned tumbler type. On that the very first day, when she realized that getting back into the room might take some cunning and ingenuity, she had been thankful to see this old style lock on the door. Soon Sam had the door open, and she was stepping inside the room. The device still sat in the middle of the room, exactly where she had left it. Amie hung back in the doorway, trembling noticeably.

"Amie! Come inside and shut the door!" Sam hissed at her. When the girl didn't move, Sam went over and jerked her inside. Realizing she might have been too rough with the girl, she spoke to her in a soothing voice.

"It's okay, honey. I promise we won't get into trouble," she lied. "This thing belongs to me; I have a right to touch it," she explained, telling her at least a part of the truth. "Now stay right here! I won't be more than five minutes," Sam whispered. The frightened girl didn't say a word, but her eyes were as big as saucers, and Sam could tell that she was scared to death.

Sam quickly and expertly examined the device to make sure it hadn't been damaged, or that no part of it had been removed. Once she was certain that it was in the same condition as when she left it, Sam told the young woman that they could go. And after re-locking the door to the room, they made their way down two more floors to the infirmary level, where they easily located the nursery.

Sam and Amie stood facing the big wall of windows, looking in at the only occupants of the baby nursery. Sam was surprised to discover that the only two babies present were not infants at all. In fact, they were obviously over a year old!

"Awww, aren't they cute!" Amie exclaimed.

"Yes, they are. But I wonder why they're still here? Why aren't they with their mothers?" Sam asked aloud, as she watched the two babies playing inside a large play pen. It sat in the center of the room which also held several cribs and isolettes.

A voice behind the two women startled them.

"Because, sad to say, they are the results of failed experiments," Janet told them.

Sam was startled to see her, and for a few seconds she felt guilty that she had been snooping around. …until she reminded herself that this wasn't her friend. Her Janet would never have involved herself in something like this.

"But what about their mothers?" Sam didn't want to believe that their mothers had abandoned them, or that society in general had turned its back on them. What kind of sick place was this?

"You've met them. Charlotte and Rosa are their mothers."

"But I don't understand. Why aren't they raising their children?" Sam really didn't understand. Didn't they realize how important it was for a child to have a nurturing relationship with its mother?

"Their mothers are part of our program, and as such they have no responsibilities, other than to the babies they are presently carrying."

"You said these two children are the result of failed experiments. What did you mean by that?" Sam asked. Amie just stood behind Sam, clutching at her arm and looking positively petrified with fear.

"They've already showing signs of aggression, which is the one thing we thought we had prevented."

"What will happen to them?" Sam asked.

"I'm not certain. Male children are usually raised on farms, until they're old enough for jobs that require more brawn than brains, or for entertainment or breeding. All I know for certain is I can't very well go on caring for them here in the lab," Janet replied, looking through the glass at the two boys, who were playing with and chewing on the various toys at their disposal. The petite doctor tapped on the glass, smiled and waved at them. The boys looked up and smiled back at her. Then they began to babble and reach toward her with their tiny arms, as they begged for her attention. Janet put her hand flat against the glass, as if she wanted to touch them.

Sam recognized the look of affection on Janet's face, and she knew without a doubt that the woman had become fond of the boys.

"Maybe YOU should keep them," Sam suggested.

"Me? I can't do that! How would I get any work done?"

"Where I come from women not only have jobs outside the home, they also have children…and husbands," Sam told her.

"Oh, yes, I forgot; you're from an alternate reality," Janet said, smirking at Sam. Amie's eyes nearly bugged out of her head.

"Yes, I am. And I'd be happy to tell you all about my world…share technology with you, medicines, whatever you want, if you'll just help me get back home," Sam implored.

"A few days ago, I would have said you were crazy, but now I'm not so sure. Come with me."

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter seven

The two women followed Dr. Frasier down the dark hallway and into her office, where they were told to sit down. Only a desk lamp was turned on, leaving the corners of the room bathed in darkness and making the meeting seem clandestine and dangerous. Sam knew that it was just that; if this woman wanted to, she could have Sam thrown in the brig or sent to those mines she kept hearing about.

Janet closed the door and sat down on the edge of her desk, facing them, and then she began to speak.

"Dr. Kenyon told me that you asked to see the device that was found in the isolation lab the day you were first discovered on base. Even though you couldn't have gotten that machine in here past the guards, she suspected that you had some knowledge of device and what it could do, so she became determined to find out more about it. She called in Dr. Tso, who is our resident expert on alien technology."

Sam heard Amie gasp, but she looked down at the floor, wondering if they had figured out what the device was. And if they had, what might that mean to her and Jack?

"Dr. Kenyon is very intelligent, but it took a mind much smarter to figure out what that machine is used for. Dr. Tso is the person who created the memory stamp to which you were subjected," Janet added, nodding at Sam.

"And Dr. Tso figured it out?" Sam asked.

"You tell me! Dr. Tso believes that it can shift matter out of phase and make it disappear, but she has no idea why anyone would want to do such a thing."

"I have an explanation, but what's important is that you believe what I told you is the truth. I'm from an alternate reality that exists parallel to yours. Coming here was a mistake. You see, someone came into the lab while I was working on the device, and they accidentally activated it."

"And that someone is the man with whom you were found?" Janet asked.

"Yes! His name is Jack O'Neill…General Jack O'Neill of the United States Air Force. He's a decorated hero and a great leader in my world, and it's my responsibility to get him home. I'm a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force, and I really am a doctor. PHD, not a medical doctor. My degree is in theoretical astrophysics. And in MY world Doctor Janet Frasier was in the Air Force too. She was a great hero who was killed a couple of years ago while on a rescue mission. She was my best friend," Sam added sadly.

"Wow! So seeing me here must have been quite a shock to you," Janet said, voicing her thoughts aloud.

"Yes, it was. In a way it's been like having my friend back, except…" Sam didn't want to say anything that might hurt this woman's feelings. Nor did she want to do anything that might sway her away from wanting to help her and Jack get home!

"Except what? I'm different from your Janet Frasier? How?" Her eyes glinted with what Sam hoped was only curiosity.

"She was one of the kindest, most compassionate human beings I've ever known. She always put her patients' health and safety first, no matter who they were. No matter whether they were human or alien, male or female, she always remembered her oath to do no harm."

"To you I must seem like a poor imitation of your friend," Janet said quietly.

"Yes, I'm afraid so," Sam replied, hoping that Janet's calm demeanor meant that she wasn't getting angry or turned off by what Sam was telling her. Then she decided to go one step further. "The Janet Frasier I knew would never rob men of their rights, or try to change them by manipulating their genes."

"I can tell you've not lived through the things we've had to endure here in my world….the violence toward women, the wars men have started, the restrictions placed on women in the work place as well as in their private lives, the over-population caused by men's innate and unrelenting craving for sex," Janet replied somewhat angrily. "But I can see how living in another environment could give you a different perspective on things."

Sam had seen some pretty uncaring, cruel and downright violent behavior here from these women, but she wasn't about to point that out to the doctor just now, not when she seemed to be on the verge of helping her and Jack get home.

"I try never to judge the alien life forms that we come across while exploring the galaxy. They have a right to live as they see fit, even when their laws or beliefs don't agree with ours. As long as they aren't hurting anyone but themselves, I don't believe in intervening. So I feel it is only fair to treat you in the same manner. Therefore I am willing to overlook our differences of opinion and help you get back to your reality."

Sam sprang up out of her chair, elated by the news. She had sensed an innate kindness in this woman. Even when Sam had seen this Janet Frasier do things that she knew her Janet would never have done, there was still something about this woman that Sam liked.

"Oh, Janet, thank you! This is wonderful news!" She couldn't help but take Janet's hand in hers and squeeze it. The doctor didn't pull away.

"There's just one catch, and I'm afraid it's a big one," Janet said seriously, squeezing Sam's hand in return.

Sam froze in place, while Amie just sat there, totally awed and more than a bit confused by the things the two women were saying. Janet looked at Sam's expectant face and then down at the frightened face of the younger woman.

"Amie, I want you to go back upstairs and stay there. And don't tell anyone what you've heard here," Janet told the young woman.

"I won't say a word, Doctor. I promise!" Amie rose as quickly as she could and exited the office, shutting the door quietly behind her.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked, the moment Amie was out of the room.

"I might NOT get into too much trouble if I let you go home, but for one very small, yet significant fact. You may be carrying the hopes and prayers of our world in your womb," Janet reminded her.

"Oh!" Sam hadn't even thought about the baby she was carrying, at least not in that regard. But now that Janet mentioned it, she could understand how helping her to return home might cause the doctor a lot of trouble.

"What if you simply look the other way? I can escape on my own, and then they can't blame you. I know how to get into the isolation lab," Sam admitted.

"It's not just that. You see, I need to know the results of this experiment. I wasn't kidding when I said I could be sent to the mines, if I don't find a solution to our problem," Janet insisted.

"I could report back to you after my baby is born," Sam suggested. "I could tell you everything you want to know about it, and then you'd know whether or not you succeeded." Sam didn't like to think about the fact that they may have altered her baby somehow, so she pushed that thought to the back of her mind.

"Hmmm. That could work! I'm glad I never told General Taylor that you're pregnant, or she'd be very upset about you getting away. Plus, Amie's baby is due to be born soon. That will keep the general from dwelling on your loss, and hopefully keep me out of hot water for a while longer. Okay, I'll allow you to escape, if you'll promise to inform me about the child?"

"Yes I will, I promise! Now I need to find Jack…General O'Neill. But I have no idea where to look. Chairwoman Jennings was very angry with him, the last time I saw him. I'm afraid she may have sent him to the mines," Sam said sadly.

"You can be thankful that he is such a well-endowed and vigorous man for his advanced age." Here in her world most men were dead by fifty, so at his age Jack was well past the median age of their other test subjects.

"He's just down that hallway, right here in the lab. He's a sperm donor. In fact, he's the father of your child."

Sam saw stars and quickly sat down on the chair behind her, thankful that it was there. Before she knew it, Janet was pressing a wet cloth to the back of her neck, as she pushed Sam's head down between her knees.

"Just relax and breathe, Samantha. Everything will be alright," Janet assured her.

Sam lifted her head and looked into the kind face of her dead friend. Then she smiled through tear-filled eyes.

"I'm not so sure about that, Janet," Sam told her.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

AN: Read the rest of this story right now at stargateforever (.com), and please check out Liquid Silver Books. My new e-book will be available there soon! Thanks!

Chapter eight

When Jack first saw Sam enter the hallway where the cells were located, he thought he was dreaming. Then he wanted to shout for joy, but seeing who she was with made him stop and reconsider.

When Jack had told the other men that his friend hadn't even recognized him, they had explained that she had no doubt been 'mind stamped'. Then more than a week had gone by, and now here she was again, but this time it appeared she was working for this so-called doctor. This Janet Frasier had a very twisted perception of men, just like all the other women he'd met here, and Jack didn't think he liked her very much. And he didn't know what to think about Sam. Had she been totally brain-washed? And if so, was there any cure? Jack shuddered to think that she might never be the same person he had known for ten years.

"I am taking one of the prisoners to the donation lab," Janet announced, and then she told the guards to unlock the cell door. Sam stood behind her and kept her eyes on the floor, while Janet looked at Jack, motioning for him to get up.

Jack figured that getting out of the cell, for whatever purpose they had in mind, was certainly better than staying locked up, even if they wanted to use that masturbation machine on him again. So he got up from his bunk and followed the two women out into the hallway. It was late at night and dark in the corridor, so dark that Jack could barely see their faces.

"Why are we stopping? What's going on?" Jack asked when they stopped half way down the hallway, and the two women stood facing him.

"Sir, I couldn't let on in there, but I'm okay now!" Sam hissed in a whispered voice, as she took hold of his left hand.

"Carter? You know who I am?!" he asked excitedly, almost bowled over with relief. He squeezed her hand, and she squeezed back.

"Yes! The mind stamp wore off."

"We don't have time for lengthy reunions right now, you two. You need to get on your way, and I need to get back to my boys," Janet told them.

Sam knew what boys she meant. Smiling through her tears, Sam hugged Janet. She wasn't her old friend, but Sam still felt a closeness to the woman.

"You'll make a wonderful mother," Sam said sincerely. Jack just stood there looking confused.

"I hope so," Janet said, and then she walked off down the corridor.

Sam grabbed Jack's hand again and told him to follow her. He did as she asked, and soon they were in the stairwell and climbing up to the level that housed the isolation labs. When they got there, Sam found the door to the floor locked this time, a contingency for which she was prepared.

"Are we doing what I hope we're doing?" Jack asked, watching in the dim red security light, as Sam picked the lock with a tool that Janet had given her.

"Yes, Sir, we're going home!"

"Thank God!" he cried, albeit softly. Just then the lock made a clicking noise, and Sam pulled the door open. Getting into the lab again was just as easy, and soon she was checking the connections between the device and the power source, to make sure the cables were routed correctly. They were, but she still didn't turn on the device.

"What? What are you waiting for?" Jack asked, realizing that she was hesitating.

"Sir, I need for you to be clear about something, before I do this. I can't be certain that the setting hasn't been changed," she admitted.

"Meaning?" He hardly ever understood what she said when it came to technical stuff, and now was no different.

"Meaning I can't be certain we'll shift back to our reality."

"We could end up someplace else?" he asked, and Sam nodded. "Well, it couldn't be much worse than here, Carter, so let's go for it," he said, nodding his head. Sam turned on the device, and almost instantly there was a short but bright burst of light. When the light disappeared, they were left standing in what appeared to be the same room.

Jack looked around the room and then down at himself, as if expecting to see himself wearing something less off-world looking. But no, he was still dressed in the same drab, gray draw-string pants and matching sleeveless shirt that he had been given in the genetics lab. And Sam was still dressed in what appeared to be hospital pajamas…gray ones. Which reminded Jack that he had meant to ask her why she was wearing those. The last time he'd seen her, which had been in Jennings' quarters, she'd been wearing a sleek-fitting, black jumpsuit made of a stretchy fabric like Spandex, with a white smock over it, and little black ankle boots. Even without much skin showing, he had thought the outfit looked really great on her, not that most things didn't.

But before he could ask about her clothing, or anything else for that matter, two marines came charging into the room, pointing their rifles at Jack and Sam.

"Stand down, men!" Jack shouted in his most commanding voice. The men immediately lowered their weapons.

"Call General Landry and tell him we're back!," he ordered. "And tell him I'll see him in an hour…once I've taken a long, hot shower and gotten into something a lot less scratchy," Jack barked, rolling his shoulders within the confines of the woolen outfit he wore. IThose women sure know how to hurt a guy!/I he complained to himself.

One of the marines ran out of the room, obviously to make the call, while the other one stood to one side at parade rest. Just then Cameron Mitchell ran into the room. Without warning he pulled Sam into his arms, hugging her soundly.

"Good golly, Miss Molly, you sure had us all worried!" he shouted with a Southern twang. Then, remembering who else was in the room, he let her go and gave Jack a cursory salute before pumping Jack's hand furiously.

"Good to see you alive and looking so fit, General! We thought for sure you two were toast," Cameron said excitedly.

Jack had to pry his hand free to keep his arm from being wrenched out of the socket.

"It's God damned good to be back, Mitchell! Now out of my way," Jack spat. Then he turned on his heel and headed out the door. Sam and Cameron walked along more slowly, not wanting to catch up with the obviously grumpy general. Instead, they chatted amicably about this and that as they strolled down the hallway. Sam kept asking Cameron to tell her what had been going on during the two weeks they'd been gone, while he kept asking Sam where she'd been and what she'd been doing.

Finally Sam rolled her eyes at him. There was no way she was going to tell him everything now, and then have to repeat the whole story at the debriefing! Besides, there were parts she didn't intend to tell anyone, not even Landry.

"You can hear all about it at the debriefing, Cam," she told him.

"Which won't be till tomorrow, Sam. Landry's gone home for the night. He was beat from worrying about the two of you. So come on, spill!"

"Not now, Cam," Sam whined. "I really just want to enjoy being home for a while. You'll hear the whole story tomorrow," she promised him, and then she followed Jack to the infirmary, where they were both given the usual tests by the doctor filling in for Dr. Lam. Afterward they were released and allowed to go home.

Jack got to the locker room first. He had stripped his clothes off, grabbed his shaving kit and disappeared into the shower room, before Sam even got to her locker. And by the time she stepped under the hot spray, he was humming to himself and shaving, looking at his reflection in a small mirror that he always hung over the wall of the shower cubicle.

Sam had showered in the same room with him many times over the years, but today it felt really weird to be here like this. And the main reason was that she knew she was carrying his child in her womb. It was strange, but she felt connected to him. Even though they'd never been intimate, she felt like she belonged to him. And she knew right then and there that no other man would ever share her bed. If she couldn't have Jack O'Neill's heart, then she didn't want any man.

Suddenly Jack's voice broke into her thoughts.

"So Carter, wanna go get some decent food tonight? We could all go to O'Malley's," he suggested, looking at his reflection in the anti-fog shaving mirror. He flattened his upper lip over his teeth and ran the razor over it with a few small downward swipes, while he waited for her answer.

At first she was totally shocked by his suggestion, but then she realized he had used the word ALL.

"All of us? You mean me, you and Cameron?" she asked, her heart doing a little stutter step, as she imagined just the two of them sitting in a dark booth together.

"Oh, yah, I forgot that Jackson and Vala aren't here. We'll make it the three of us, then. I have to go back to DC soon, you know," he reminded her.

He DID have to go back, but he didn't have to remain there for long. Should he tell her that he was retiring? And if he did tell her, should he also tell her she was the reason? What if she didn't want him in her life full time? What if she didn't want him in her life at all?!

Jack couldn't decide what to do, but he DID know one thing; he just had to spend some time with her! After all, seeing Sam had been his major reason for coming to the SGC, although he'd disguised that fact by arranging a meeting with Landry regarding the implementation and the cost of certain new security measures. But their meeting had been completed even before he and Sam had been whisked away by Merlyn's machine, and now he was hard-pressed to come up with an excuse for not returning to DC.

He thought he might be able to use the concussion he'd suffered as an excuse to stick around a while longer, but even so he doubted he could put off going home for more than a day or two. A phone call to his secretary had already confirmed his suspicions that he had a back log of files on his desk that would rival the size of the Hoover Dam! And they all had to be done something with before he could turn over the reigns to his successor.

"Okay, I'd like that, Sir." They hadn't done anything like that in ages, not since he'd become the CO of the SGC over two years ago, and she thought it would be nice to get something of the old days back again. Also, after the unnerving experiences of the past two weeks, she really didn't feel like going home to an empty house. In fact, she was thinking of staying on base for a while, if for no other reason than to have the friendly faces of other airmen around her. She knew it was silly, but she was feeling the need for support and companionship. She wondered if knowing she was pregnant had something to do with that.

Jack shut the water off. Then he wrapped the towel around his waist, grabbed his shaving stuff and strutted past Sam and out of the shower room, never turning his head even once to get a glimpse of her. Truth was he didn't look THIS time. But there had been many other times when he had sneaked a peek, and what he had seen had made his not-so-little colonel stand at attention. Today, because he didn't have time to jerk off afterwards, he decided he'd better not risk even one little look at Sam's perfect body.

It didn't take him long to dress in his civvies, so he decided to go and find Mitchell while Sam finished up.

"We'll meet you topside in fifteen. That enough time for you?" Jack ask, one hand holding open the outer door. Sam was just coming out of the shower room, covered only by a towel.

"Sure. See you there!" she replied, and then she watched as Jack left the locker room. Once she was certain he was gone, the weight of her situation seemed to fall on her like a ton of bricks, and she slumped down onto the nearest bench and wept.

"This is just not fair!" she cried aloud to the four walls.

For years she had dreamed that one day she and Jack might marry and have children…one day when they were no longer needed at the SGC. But that day had never come, and now Jack was posted in DC, and she was still a vital part of the program. So even though she was no longer under Jack's command, nothing much had changed. They were both still tied up by duty and obligation, and their personal lives were still on the back burner…with the heat turned off, if her life was any indication.

She hadn't even dated since the whole Pete snafu. And as far as she knew, Jack wasn't dating either. AS FAR AS SHE KNEW. What did she really know about his life in DC? Maybe he WAS seeing someone? And if so, would it be fair for her to spring this news on him? After all, it wasn't his fault.

INever the less, the child is just as much his as it is mine,/I she argued with herself. Should she tell him and risk being rejected, or should she keep the pregnancy to herself? Then there was the other problem; he might feel responsible and therefore obligated. IOh God, that's not something I'd ever want Jack to feel toward me or my baby!/I she cried inside.

Sam knew she didn't have long before she'd be forced into making a decision. Obviously she wouldn't be able to hide her pregnancy forever; in a few months she'd start to show, and then everyone would know. She rationalized that she could always say that the baby was conceived here on Earth after she returned from the other reality. She wouldn't be required to name the father, and except for having to take time off to have the baby, she could continue working at the SGC in some capacity. Gate travel would definitely be out until after she had the baby, but maybe they'd keep a place for her on SG-1?

Suddenly her name being announced over the loud speaker dragged her out of the mire of upsetting thoughts in which she found herself.

"Colonel Carter, meet your party at the surface!" a voice called out. Sam had dawdled far too long, and now they were waiting for her topside. She scrambled to get dressed, hoping she could pretend for just this one night that everything was as it should be, that her life was not in turmoil, and that her heart was not breaking.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter nine

The sun had just set, leaving a rosy glow in the sky as Sam stepped out of the elevator and onto the surface. She looked around at the mostly empty parking lot and quickly spotted Jack, casually leaning against his big, black truck…the one he kept stored here on base.

IHe certainly makes a gorgeous picture standing there in those blue jeans, black boots, white open-necked shirt and black leather coat,/I she told herself. As she walked toward him, she wondered where Cameron was. He wasn't usually late, especially when food was involved.

"Where's Cameron?" were the first words out of her mouth, and Jack thought she sounded like she might be going to back out. Would she, if he told her that Mitchell wasn't coming?

"He said he'll meet us there," Jack lied. Actually, what Mitchell had said was that he had a date, and that they should go without him.

Sam's stomach rumbled, whether from hunger or anxiety she wasn't certain. Jack smiled and stepped closer to her.

"Sounds like someone's hungry," he said, smirking. A wisp of pale golden hair blew across her forehead, and without thinking he clasped it between his thumb and index finger and studied it. Then he let it go, expelling the breath he'd been holding, as he pushed thoughts of kissing her right there in the SGC parking lot out of his mind.

"Yes I am, but I really should get home," she said, her response sounding weak and without conviction. She was surprised my his touch, and she suspected he knew there was nothing waiting for her at home. ISo why are you bothering to lie? He knows you don't have a life anywhere but here on base./I

"But you don't want to go home, Sam," Jack told her, as he moved into her personal space. A mischievous light glowing in his dark eyes, he took a step forward, placing one of his feet between hers. "You don't want to go home to an empty refrigerator…or at best to a frozen dinner…now do you?" he asked, grinning down at her.

He knew her. He knew her house was no more a home than his was. Oh sure, he probably had a twelve pack of beer in the fridge, but as far as any real food was concerned, his pantry was about as bare as Old Mother Hubbard's. He figured Sam's was the same.

"Tell me I'm right, Sam," he said, the sides of their boots touching, fitting together like the bodies of two lovers. She was so close that he could see his reflection in her eyes, and he could smell her perfume or whatever that lovely fragrance was. All he knew for certain was that it was turning his brain to mush and making his dick swell. He wanted her, and he was about three seconds away from making his move.

"You're right," she agreed softly. And then Sam stepped back, reinforcing the wall that had existed between them for so long.

"So…let's go eat. I'm starving!" she said, denying the need she was feeling, the habit of ten years a hard one to break.

Twenty minutes later, after listening to old hits from the seventies on the radio, they were pulling up in front of O'Malley's Bar and Grill on the highway between Peterson AFB and Cheyenne Mountain. The place was mostly frequented by base personnel, and tonight was no different. Several people shouted at Jack and waved respectfully at Sam, as the two made their way into the back room.

When Jack had been her CO, they had usually sat in the back room near the pool table, and that's where they headed now. Seeing the two senior officers headed their way, and knowing that they were seated in SG-1's booth, the three young airmen got up and moved to another table. Jack merely nodded his thanks and slid across the brown leather seat, leaving plenty of room for Sam to slip in beside him. Almost immediately a waitress came over and took their drink order.

"So SG-1 still has dibs on this booth?" Jack asked, thinking it was nice that some things hadn't changed since he left.

"Yes, I guess so. But we don't come here as often as we used to." Suddenly Sam didn't feel like talking about the past. In fact, just thinking about the fact that the old SG-1 no longer existed made her throat close up and tears come to her eyes, so she looked away and tried to think of something else to say. But before she could manage to say something less nostalgic, Jack interrupted her thoughts.

"I'm sort of glad you don't come here as much now. It makes me think that our time here together was special…a time that can't be replaced." IGod, where did that sappy sounding comment come from?/I he asked himself.

"Sorry," he said, looking sheepish. "I guess I'm getting a bit maudlin in my old age." He knew he was, but he just couldn't help himself. He never wanted to be separated from her again. He knew that now, even more than he had before he turned in his resignation. He just wished he knew how she felt about him!

"It's okay. I miss those times too," she said, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, while her eyes grew misty. She turned away again, and Jack was left wondering what she was thinking.

He knew he must have sounded depressed, which at times he was, especially since he'd moved to DC. However, he hadn't intended to admit it to her or share his burden with her. She just seemed to have that effect on him…for one. She also affected him in other ways…always had, from that first day he'd seen her walk into the briefing room, looking all prim and proper in her dress blues. She had been a real spitfire that day, and even though he didn't really know her yet, Jack had been damned proud of her. He'd never told her so, and now he wished he had.

The waitress came and brought them their drink order, and for a few minutes they just sat and sipped their beers, while watching a dart game that was taking place on the opposite side of the big dining room. Jack had missed this…missed her…more than he had been willing to admit, even to himself. And now he was here with her, and he finally had a chance to tell her how he felt. But could he? Was he willing to risk being rejected? He still wasn't sure, so he quickly found a safer subject.

"I wonder what happened to Cameron," Sam remarked, looking toward the front of the restaurant.

"I don't know about you, but I'm starving. Why don't we go ahead and order?" he suggested, knowing full well that Mitchell wasn't coming.

"You don't think we should wait?"

"Nah. I think we've been stood up. So, what do you feel like having? Your usual? Filet, medium, baked potato with butter on the side, salad with low-cal Italian and no cucumbers?"

"Yes, that would be perfect!" She was flattered that he remembered what she liked.

And so, leaving the ordering up to Jack, she excused herself and went to the ladies' room. While she was inside the stall she heard two women enter the bathroom. They stood at the sinks and began to chatter away, while they primped in front of the mirror, and what they had to say shocked Sam and held her attention.

"He's here! Did you see him? He came in with a tall blonde," one woman said.

"I'm not sure. What does he look like again?" the other woman asked.

"He's probably late forties or early fifties, and he has a lot of silver in his hair, and these really intense eyes the color of dark chocolate. He's wearing boots and jeans and a black leather coat."

"Sounds yummy!"

"I'll say! And he's tall too, and in really great shape. He's a general. He was the CO at the SGC, but now he's stationed in DC at the Pentagon."

"Wow, a general! Aren't you setting your sights kind of high?" the second woman asked.

"Maybe. But I know what I like, and he's it. I would have made my move before he transferred, if I hadn't been in the middle of that stupid divorce," she assured her friend.

Sam just sat there unwilling to move. She was shocked that these women were talking about Jack as though he was some sort of animal and they were big game hunters, but she still couldn't bring herself to put a stop to their conversation. So when Sam finished using the toilet, rather than reveal her presence to the two women, she decided to stay put so she could hear what else they had to say. The next question made Sam hold her breath.

"But if he's here with someone else, why do you think you stand a chance with him?" the woman asked.

"Because, the woman he's with was his second-in-command for years. Nothing happened between them," she said emphatically.

"How can you be so certain?"

"I have it from a very reliable source. I tell you, those two would have died rather than break the regs," she assured her friend.

"So, he's still her CO?"

"No, she's still at the SGC."

"Then if they're not in the same chain of command anymore, what's stopping them from getting together now?"

"Word is they're like an old married couple. Too much water's gone under the bridge, so now they're just friends. Come on, I'm gonna see if I can catch his eye," the eager woman said, and then the two left, having repaired their war paint and sprayed themselves with more perfume.

Sam washed up and went back to the booth, where Jack was looking at her expectantly. As she passed the pool table, she noticed the two women, one short and blonde and the other of medium height and brunette, talking to two guys who were obviously about to start a game. Sam guessed that the one woman wanted to play pool, so she could strut her stuff in front of Jack. Sam thought it might be interesting to see what sort of display the woman put on…how far she would go….and so Sam slid into the booth, hoping the two women hadn't noticed she'd just come from the ladies' room.

"I thought maybe I was gonna have to go in there and drag you out. You okay?" Jack asked, real concern in his voice.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine! Sorry I took so long. I decided to step out back and phone Cassie." IGod, where did that come from?!/I she screamed at herself.

"How is she?" he asked, then he took a sip of his beer. He watched as Sam sipped hers, noticing how her full lips wrapped around the opening of the bottle, thinking they'd feel great wrapped around the head of his cock. Jack squirmed a little, rearranging his fledgling erection inside his jeans as best he could without using his hands. It had always been like this when he was with her in a relaxed setting. She'd just look at him and smile that lovely smile of hers, and he would be hard in an instant.

"I wasn't able to reach her." She almost flinched visibly at the lie. She didn't usually lie to people, especially him, so why was she lying now?

IBecause you're embarrassed that you eavesdropped on those two bimbos, while they talked about him like he was a piece of meat for sale in a butcher shop! And you're embarrassed that you are now turned on because of their discussion, and that you would love to give that woman a run for her money. But of course you won't. You're a coward, Sam, and you know it!/I she complained to herself.

INo, I'm not!/I she shot back. Jack was hers, or he could be. All she had to do was tell him about the baby. IIs that really what you want to do, Sam? Use his child to trap him? But he has a right to know about the baby, doesn't he? …as long as you don't use the child to get closer to him./I After this argument with herself, Sam was certain of only one thing; having him feel obligated to her and to the baby was the last thing she wanted.

Jack was quiet too. He knew that something was eating at Sam, but he had no idea what it was. She'd been awfully quiet ever since they got into the truck. Maybe touching her hair had been too bold, too inappropriate? Maybe she felt awkward being here with him alone? After all, normally the guys would have been with them. Maybe dinner had been a bad idea? He really didn't mean to make her feel uncomfortable, but it seemed like that's what he had done.

IMaybe retiring was a bad idea too, Jack, especially when you've pinned your hopes for the future on a woman who may not feel the same way about you that you feel about her,/I he chastised himself.

Until their steaks arrived, they sat in stony silence, each buried in their own self-doubts and accusations.

Finally their meal arrived, and Jack dug into his food with great gusto, just as he always did. He ate quickly and efficiently, and soon he was finished and patting his belly with a smile of satisfaction on his handsome face. Sam watched him and smiled back, loving how sweet he looked and how un-general like. Then she saw him look at her plate, where most of her food lay untouched.

"What's wrong?" he asked. In the past when they'd had dinner here, she had made fast work of her steak, but not tonight.

"I guess I wasn't as hungry as I thought," she said, her eyes on her plate. Just then the woman, who had talked about Jack in the bathroom, came over and asked Jack to dance. Sam looked up and then cast her eyes back down to her plate once again.

"Ah, I don't know. I'm not much of a dancer," he said. He looked at Sam, hoping for some sign that she didn't want him to take the young woman up on her offer. But when she wouldn't even look at him, he felt himself getting angry. He wanted her to care! He wanted her to SHOW she cared, damn it!

IIt's a good thing you found out now where you stand now, Jack, before you buy that ring and say all that silly stuff to her about 'forever after' and crap like that,/I he told himself defensively, his heart breaking.

"Thanks, I don't mind if I do," he said, as he slid around the other side of the booth and stood up. He towered over the petite blonde, as she took his hand and guided him to the dance floor. And when he cradled the much younger woman in his arms and turned his back to her, Sam began to cry. Fighting to keep from looking like a fool, or a sore loser or both, Sam frantically blotted at her tears, stopping them before they had a chance to make tracks down her face. While she did so, she watched Jack and the woman. She didn't want to, but she couldn't stop herself.

He was holding her really close now, and she had her face turned inward, her lips next to their joined hands which rested on his chest. Her other arm was around Jack's waist, and his arm was around her shoulders. He had removed his coat earlier, and now Sam could see the muscles in his arms and back through the thin white fabric of his linen shirt. She desperately wanted to feel his back under her hands, to feel him holding her close like that, but she doubted it could never happen. Oh sure, she could get his attention by telling him that she was carrying his baby, but would he ever hold her just because he wanted to? Just for her?

Sam thought they looked very cozy, and she thought Jack seemed to be enjoying himself immensely, with his chin resting on top of the woman's head. Sam thought that the dance could lead to something else, and rather than put a damper on the rest of Jack's evening, she decided to leave before he came back to the table. She figured he'd understand and probably thank her. Leaving some money on the table for her food, she quickly slipped out of the booth and weaved her way between the tables to the front door.

Once outside, Sam pulled out her cell phone and called for a taxi. While she waited, she watched for Jack to come outside, afraid that he would and afraid that he wouldn't. In the end, he didn't come out, and Sam went home and crawled into her own bed. She had decided it was childish to cling to the SGC like a lifeline. She had a child to raise now, and she couldn't afford to be dependent on anything or anyone. She let herself cry that night, promising herself that she'd never shed a tear again for this man…a man who was never meant to be hers.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter ten

Sam had finally gotten to sleep that night, but not until after hours and hours of tossing and turning, during which time she decided what she was going to do about her predicament.

Only three hours later her alarm went gone off. And while she was in the shower trying to wake up, her cell phone rang. Sam turned off the water and hurried into the bedroom to answer it, noting that it was the number of the SGC.

"Carter!"

"Sam, this is Dr. Lam. I was wondering if you could stop by and see me first thing this morning."

"Of course! Is there something wrong?" Sam wondered if she'd picked up some sort of bug in the alternate universe. She felt fine, but she knew that wasn't really an adequate measure of wellness.

"No, nothing's wrong exactly, but I made need to run some tests again," Caroline said mysteriously.

Suddenly Sam thought about the baby. IOh, oh! But they don't routinely check for pregnancy, do they?/I

Not wanting to discuss the matter over the phone, Sam agreed to be in Caroline's office in forty-five minutes. When she arrived in the infirmary, she was told to wait in Dr. Lam's office. Sam only had to wait a few minutes before Caroline came in carrying a cup of coffee.

"Sorry to drink this in front of you, but I had an early emergency and no time for breakfast. Would you like something to drink?" she asked politely.

"No, thank you. I'm fine." Sam hadn't eaten anything for breakfast either, but she didn't feel hungry or thirsty. Right now the only thing she felt was anxious.

"Sam, the reason I called you in is because I found something surprising in your test results." Sam didn't say anything, and so Caroline continued.

"Sam, I hate to have to ask you this, but are you aware that you're pregnant?" Caroline asked.

"Yes, I am. I'm sorry I didn't report it."

"Sam, were you raped?"

"NO! No, the truth is I was made to submit to testing in their genetics lab. I was impregnated by artificial means. But I'd really appreciate it if you wouldn't tell anyone."

"Sam, you know I can't do that."

"But why not?"

"First of all, because I'll have to remove you from SG-1. You know as well as I do that pregnant women are not allowed to travel through the gate."

"I know that, but…."

"There can be no exceptions, Sam. Under no circumstances will I allow you to continue working on SG-1."

"Okay, I agree with that, but can't you keep the reason between us? I mean no one else has to know I'm pregnant yet, not till I'm ready to tell them. Right?"

"I'm sorry, Sam, but I'll have to tell my father and Colonel Mitchell the reason for your removal from the team. You're an integral part of SG-1, and they'll both demand to know why they're losing you. They have a right to know, Sam," Caroline stated reasonably.

Sam knew that what Caroline was saying was true, and so she simply nodded.

Nothing about this was going to be easy, but she had to hope that things would get better once Jack had gone back to his job in DC. She had decided not to tell him that he was the father of her baby. Sure, she realized he'd find out she was pregnant some day, but by then her story would have become accepted fact. She thought it would be easy to make up a story about some guy she had briefly dated. She'd tell everyone that he was the father of her child. There was no reason for anyone to question her, and no reason for Jack to know the truth. Only Cameron Mitchell and General Landry would know the real way in which she had conceived, but even they would not know who the baby's father was.

Jack would never need to feel responsible or obligated to her, or to the baby. And after what she'd witnessed last night, she was certain that if he knew the truth, his reaction would be based on obligation to the child and not love for her. He obviously wanted a life, just not with her. And she didn't want to interfere in that life, or make him feel guilty in any way, and so this was what she had chosen to do. She was convinced that this was for the best, for all three of them.

After her meeting with Dr. Lam, Sam went to work in her lab, breathing a little easier. She knew there would still be the obligatory conversations with Cam and with General Landry, but she thought she was prepared to handle them. She planned to tell them that she was okay with what had happened, that she intended to raise the child by herself, and that the baby wouldn't interfere with her work. Then she'd ask them to keep her position on SG-1 open for her, if at all possible.

Jack sat facing Dr. Lam's desk, tenting his fingers together as he sat waiting for her. She had phoned him that morning to tell him she needed to talk to him about the time he'd spent in the other reality. He thought he had put everything of any importance in his report, and since he really wanted to go and talk to Sam, he was getting impatient. Finally, after ten minutes, the pretty young doctor swept into the room and sat down facing him.

Caroline wasn't looking forward to this meeting. When her father ordered her to inform General O'Neill of Sam's pregnancy, she had protested, telling him that Sam asked her not to discuss the matter with anyone. But her father had insisted she tell General O'Neill, and then find out if he knew anything more about the genetics experiments that were being conducted in the other reality. Her Dad didn't have to say it; she knew that he was worried about what had been done to the baby that Sam was carrying.

She was worried too. If they had done something harmful to the child, she reasoned it would be better to know about it now, just in case there was something that could be done before the baby was born. Today there were ways of testing for many things, and in the case of some abnormalities and defects, there were many surgeries that could be performed on babies, even while they were still in the womb. There was also another matter that Caroline needed to address with Sam. She didn't like the idea much, but she felt she was obligated to inform Sam of all her options, and so she would. But right now she had to find out exactly how much General O'Neill knew.

"General O'Neill, I'm so sorry to keep you waiting. I had a few unexpected situations to contend with," she said as smooth her hair back from her face. She didn't mention the fact, but she'd also wanted time to read both his and Sam's reports before she spoke to him. What she had discovered in their reports made her think that Jack and Sam might have a surprise in store for them. Sam had been implanted with donor sperm on the same day that Jack had been taken to the genetics lab. And although Jack hadn't said exactly what happened to him there, Caroline put two and two together and came up with baby O'Neill, or maybe not, but she thought the possibility certainly existed.

"Anything I can do?" Jack asked. He liked this young woman, regardless of whether or not she was Hank Landry's daughter. She seemed to have won over the people around here too, which he figured wasn't an easy thing to do, especially when she was always poking them or prodding them with needles and such.

"No, but thank you for offering. Sgt. Siler has a fractured tibia and a minor concussion," she said, slapping a manila folder down on her desk. "And I've had to remove Colonel Carter from SG-1," she said, dropping what she thought might turn out to be a grenade with the pin removed. If he already knew about the baby, there would be barely a bang. If he didn't know, she expected a great big KABOOM!

"What? Why? I thought she came back with a clean bill of health?" he asked, sounding accusatory, his response definitely of the kaboom variety.

"Oh, she did. She's not sick. She's pregnant." Caroline paused to see what effect her words had on him. She watched as Jack's usually tan complexion turned a pasty white. So he didn't know about the pregnancy!

"And as you know, pregnant women are not assigned off-world duty at this time. That may change some day, after we've had time to do a study on the affects wormhole travel has on the fetus, but right now we have to play it safe."

"Sam's pregnant?" He knew he'd heard her correctly, but he still couldn't believe it. "How? Who?" Jack felt as though someone had just stabbed him in the heart. Sam was pregnant with someone else's baby? No wonder she had left last night without saying good-bye! She probably felt weird going out with him alone like that. He never should have taken her out to dinner, once he found out Mitchell couldn't go. Mitchell! He and Sam had been working together for a while now. Was it HIS kid?

"As for HOW, Sam told me that she was artificially inseminated against her will, while she was in the alternate reality. But as for WHO, I'm afraid I can't answer that question, General. I'm not even sure that Sam can. Oh, by the way, Colonel Carter asked me not to tell anyone that she's pregnant, so I'm sure she'd appreciate it if you keep this to yourself."

"Eh…no, of course I won't tell anyone," he managed to say, although his brain was doing summersaults, while his heart was trying to jump clear out of his chest. Sam was artificially impregnated, and he'd had his sperm taken in the same lab. So clearly HE could be the baby's father!

"I explained to her that I would, of necessity, have to tell General Landry and Colonel Mitchell about her condition and how it came about. I just got through talking to my father, and he asked me to talk to you about the matter, to see if you could shed some light on the facts surrounding the experiments that were being done. You said they were conducting some sort of genetics experiments. What were their goals? Exactly what happened to you in the lab, General? You seem to have omitted the details from your report. If I'm going to help Sam, I need to know everything."

"Yes, of course," Jack said quietly. He'd tell her everything she wanted to know, but first he wanted to talk to Sam!

Caroline studied the man in front of her, thinking that he didn't look very well all of a sudden.

"Are you feeling alright, General?" she asked, honestly concerned.

"Yah. Just a little….hungry is all. I wonder if you'd mind if I go get some breakfast now?" Actually it was just an excuse. Eating was the farthest thing from his mind.

"No, I don't mind, if you promise to come back after you've eaten, General?" she asked.

"Yes, eh…I'll see ya later," he said distractedly as he got up and left the office.

Caroline watched him go. She really hoped he and Sam had an honest talk soon, because she had a feeling those two were keeping a lot of feelings bottled up inside.

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter eleven

How many times had he stood like this in the doorway of Sam's lab, waiting, hoping, wishing for her to look up and notice him? Today her head was down, and she appeared to be deep in thought, but then he heard the faint sound of sniffling and realized that she was crying. Jack stepped into the room and closed the door behind him, making sure the lock clicked into place. Today of all days he didn't want any interruptions.

"Sam," he said softly, as he walked over to where she sat.

Her head jerked up, and she quickly grabbed a tissue from a nearby box and dabbed at her eyes with it.

"What do you want?" Realizing how rude that sounded, she quickly corrected her error. "Sorry, Sir. Do you need something?" She thought he'd be on his way back to DC by now. What on earth was he doing here?

"Yes, I do. I need to talk to you privately," he said, his nervous hands reaching out to touch something on her work table.

"Sir! Look but don't touch," she said as she often did. It wasn't as important as Merlyn's device, but it was a valuable piece of alien technology.

"Sorry," he said, as usual. "I guess I have a bad habit of touching things I shouldn't," he admitted. "So, can you take a few minutes away from what you're doing?"

"I guess I could take a break later this afternoon." She thought that if she could put him off, maybe she could avoid this conversation altogether. All she could think was that whatever he had to say could only lead to more heartache for her. Even if he still had some romantic interest in her, which she doubted, she didn't think he'd appreciate being trapped into a relationship by a baby.

"No, Sam, I want to talk to you right now," he said sternly. "I've put this off for much too long as it is."

Sam was puzzled, but still her mind began to fill with excuses she could use….reasons why she couldn't talk to him. However, her mouth suddenly went dry, and she found herself coughing and gulping for air. Jack was beside her immediately, handing her a bottle of water and urging her to drink. And when she was finished, he took the bottle and set it down on the counter out of the way. Then he took both her hands in his and looked into her eyes, as he held their joined hands over his heart.

"Sam, will you marry me?" he asked quickly, afraid that if he didn't say the words right now, he might never say them. He had finally decided that if she said NO, he would make it a point never to see her again. Then maybe he could go on with his life and forget about her.

"You want to marry me?" she asked incredulously. Jack nodded and held his breath. "But why all of a sudden? Why now, after all these years?" Sam's lower lip began to tremble, and then her tears began to flow even faster than before.

"It wasn't really a sudden decision, Sam. I've been able to think of nothing else but you since I went to DC. I arranged this trip to Colorado mainly so I could talk to you about our future…at least one possible future."

"You did?"

"Yes, I did. In fact, I was planning on asking you to marry me the day that damned machine sent us to that parallel universe."

"But, Sir, things have changed," she said. She still wasn't certain how he'd feel about becoming a father again. And the circumstances of her getting pregnant were more than a little strange and off-putting even to her, and she was a scientist.

"If you mean the baby…."

"You know about the baby?" she asked, her voice filled with emotion. How could he know she was pregnant?

"Yes, I know. Dr. Lam told me. She also told me how you got pregnant and that you made a deal with that quasi Dr. Frasier to let us go."

"But I asked Dr. Lam not to tell anyone," Sam complained. She sniffed, trying to get a hold on her emotions, so she could talk to him without blubbering. Jack handed her another tissue, watching patiently as she blew her nose.

"Don't blame her, Sam. She didn't want to tell me, but her father ordered her to. He thought I might be able to fill in some of the blanks. And I can."

"You can?" she asked nervously. She wondered what he meant by that? Did he suspect he was the father?

"Yep! They took a sperm sample from me the same day…the first day you were taken to the genetics lab," he told her.

"I see." It wasn't news to her. In fact, she already knew he was the father of her baby, but fear of his anger made her keep quiet. What would he think when he found out that she knew the baby was his, but she still hadn't told him?

"So I think there's a pretty good chance that bun in your oven has my name on it," he said, his black eyes searching her face. Was she pleased by the thought, or not? He couldn't tell one way or the other, until…..

Sam stared at him, and then she smiled. She couldn't help but think how cute he looked just now. And he certainly was acting smug for a man who hadn't even gotten to first base with her yet. She was pregnant with his baby, and they hadn't even kissed. Now there was irony for you!

"Oh, really?" she asked, trying to keep her complete and total happiness from showing. After that display he'd put on with that bimbo at O'Malley's, she was still a little mad at him.

"Yep!" he exclaimed, grinning like the village idiot.

"You seem pretty sure of yourself, General," she commented, teasing him further. She felt relieved and more relaxed than she'd felt in quite some time. Obviously his proposal wasn't a reflection of his feelings of responsibility toward the child. How could it be, when he didn't even know for sure that the baby was his? Plus, he said he came to Colorado to propose marriage to her. If that was true, then he must love her for her own sake. He DID love her, didn't he?

"Yep!" he said again. "Those folks said I had some of the biggest and best swimmers they'd ever seen," he bragged.

"REALLY?!" God the man was cute and damned hot, and Sam wanted nothing better than to drag him down onto the work bench and kiss him till he couldn't breathe!

"Uh huh. So, what d'ya say? Marry me?"

"But what if the baby isn't yours?" She couldn't help it; she just had to ask.

"I don't care. I wanna marry you anyway. We'll have one of those paternity tests done, and if the kid's not mine, we can sell it or something," Jack said, trying to keep a serious face. His face split into a grin when he heard her reply.

"WHAT?! Over my dead body!" she cried seriously.

"For crying out loud, Carter, I was only kidding! I'm a pushover for kids, and you know it. Now come on, honey, say YES! We've wasted WAY too much time as it is," he said, his eyes imploring her to agree. "I love you, Carter. You love me, doncha?"

Sam almost fell off her stool. He said he loved her! Not the baby or the thought of being a father again, but HER!

"Yes, I do, but…. What if there's no chemistry between us? We haven't even kissed or anything."

"You've got to be kidding me!" If what he'd felt for her for the past ten years wasn't chemistry, then what the hell was it? "That's not true, Sam. There was that time when you were infected with that alien virus, and you attacked me in the locker room. Loved seeing you in that sweet little tank top, by the way. And then there was the time we were stuck on that frozen planet, where we smooched behind the boilers. I don't remember everything about that mission, but I sure as hell remember kissing you."

Sam could recall those times too, but she knew they were only the memories of two people who had worked together to save the planet. Those times were all tainted by duty and outside influences. What she wanted was to create new, unspoiled memories….memories of two people saving each other from a life of loneliness and regret.

"And there was the time when…." Jack was about to list a couple more times when they had kissed, but Sam interrupted him.

"No, Sir…Jack, I mean US! WE haven't kissed! You and me, not some virus-infected, mind-altered version of ourselves. LIKE THIS!" she exclaimed. And then she put both hands on the back of his neck and pulled him toward her, planting her lips firmly on his. Pulled off balance, Jack literally stumbled toward her, his hands going out to brace against the counter on both sides of her body, to keep both of them from falling to the floor.

"Miffle mrrfff!" he said in return, his words garbled by the kiss. When she finally let go of him, Jack was smiling at her, and he had his hands firmly planted on her hips.

"So, is that a sample of what's to come, Colonel?" he asked, grinning wickedly.

"It could be, General, IF you stay here instead of going back to DC," she replied smartly.

"Is that an ultimatum, Colonel Carter?" Jack asked, raising one eyebrow. He thought she was really hot when she got all forceful and demanding, not that she wasn't always hot.

"Yes, it is," she stated, nodding.

Any other man might have balked at such a brassy female, but not Jack O'Neill. He knew who was going to be the brains in this family. And as long as she'd let him be the brawn, he really didn't mind.

"Okay."

"Okay? You'll put in for a transfer? You'll move back here?" Sam asked, the surprise evident in her voice. She couldn't believe it had been that easy. He was willing to give up his prestigious position, just because she asked him to? WOW! What would he do if he knew the baby was definitely his? She knew she should tell him the truth now. But would he hate her for keeping it from him?

"I will do anything to make this happen, Carter." He wasn't going to tell her he'd already turned in his resignation…not yet anyway. Besides, he'd do anything for her and a second chance to be a father. To seal the deal Jack pulled her off the stool and dipped her back over his arm as he kissed her.

"WOW! I've never been kissed quite like THAT before!"

"Oh yes, you have," he said, smirking smugly, as he felt the pressure begin to build in his groin. It had never taken him long to get turned on around her. But in the past he'd always had to hide it. He didn't intend to hide it anymore.

"Oh? When?" she asked, her cheeks dimpling as she smiled at him.

"That's for me to know and you to find out, Colonel." Then he did it again.

"Wow," she said again, but this time she was almost breathless with passion and need. He was feeling it too.

"Sam, I'm suffering here," he whined. "Can we go someplace where we can be alone? I think it's time we did much more than just kiss."

"I agree, General. My place?" she asked, batting her eyelashes at him. When they got to her house, she would tell him the baby was his. She just prayed that he wouldn't be very angry.

They had barely gotten out of the base parking lot, when Sam began snuggling against him, kissing his neck as she fumbled with the zipper of his trousers.

"Honey, wait," he warned, fearing he wouldn't be able to drive, if she did what he thought she was thinking of doing.

"Can't. Have dreamed about doing this for so long," she confessed, as she got on her knees next to him on the wide bench seat. She sounded desperate and she was acting even more so, and that was when Jack's libidinous brain congratulated him for buying a big truck with an old-fashioned front seat.

Once his pants were open, Sam reached inside his boxers and wrapped her hand around his swollen cock….his oh- my-God-it's-so-huge swollen cock! Once she got over her initial shock, she bent down and took him into her mouth, the large purple head disappearing between her pink lips as she sucked on it gently at first, running her tongue lovingly over its silky smooth, sensitive surface. Using her hands, she massaged the shaft, rolling it between her palms from base to tip and back down again. Jack moaned, closing his eyes half way, as he controlled the truck with one hand on the steering wheel, while his other hand caressed the back of Sam's head.

Jack pushed down a bit more firmly with his hand in her golden hair, and Sam responded by sucking harder, letting more of his cock slip inside her mouth. Her head moved down at his request, her mouth taking more and more of him in, as she sucked at his engorged manhood until he thought he would have a stroke. He could hear his heart beating loudly in his ears, pumping blood to all parts of his body, filling his cock even fuller as Sam brought him closer and closer to completion. Suddenly he knew he had to get her off him, or this could end with them plowing into a tree or going over the edge of the road and into a ravine.

Jack jerked the wheel to the left, steering the big truck to the other side of the road, where there was room to stop. Then he slammed his foot down on the brake pedal and brought the big truck to a gravel-scattering halt. Grabbing both of her shoulders, he pulled Sam upright, cognizant that she could accidentally bite him in his haste to remove his cock from her mouth. Fortune smiled at him, and he came away unscathed, his pre-come mixed with her saliva dripping from the corners of her luscious pink mouth. Sam wiped the back of her hand across her lips, a confused look on her face.

"What's wrong?" she asked, concerned that he was dissatisfied. Had he been? She had only gotten half his length in her mouth before it hit the back of her throat. Doing so had all but choked her. My God, he was so long!

"Nothing's wrong, honey. I just don't want to come in your mouth the first time. I want you to ride me," he urged, as he shifted the truck into Park and turned off the ignition. Then he lifted his hips and pulled his pants and underwear down around his highs, watching impatiently as she sat down and pulled off her boots, bdu pants and her panties.

In less time that it takes to say, "The stargate is the greatest discovery since fire, and Jack O'Neill and Samantha Carter are Earth's fearless guardian angels", Sam bared herself from the waist down and positioned her weeping pussy over his groin. With Jack's guidance and coaxing, she eased herself down onto his cock, taking all of him the first try.

"God, you're so big!" Sam cried breathlessly. She felt stretched to the limit, but it didn't hurt. In fact, it felt very, very good!

"And you're so tight!" he choked out his reply, almost overcome by the snug embrace of her pussy.

As Sam began to ride him, tilting her hips up and down, Jack kissed her, tasting himself, salty on her lips. The sound of them fucking, the groans and the moans, and the wet slurping sounds of him placing sloppy kisses on her face and neck, echoed throughout the otherwise quiet interior of the vehicle. And due to their already heightened state of arousal, it wasn't long before they both reached a crescendo, followed by a powerful climax.

"WOW! I'd say that was worth the wait," Sam purred, her mouth next to his right ear. She was hanging on him, knees splayed and arms draped around his neck, her face resting on his shoulder, her energy almost entirely spent from nervous exhaustion and the urgency of their coupling.

He felt equally as drained, although he knew he would never tire of this.

"Yah, I'd say that was pretty damned good, considering we weren't in a bed."

"Hmmm, makes me wonder what it'll be like when we ARE in a bed," Sam mused aloud.

"I can't wait to find out! Climb off and put your clothes on," he urged her.

"I like the way you think, Sir." Sam put on her clothes, while Jack pulled up his trousers and underwear. Once she was redressed, she turned and looked at him, tears filling her eyes once again.

"Sir?" Now that she knew how good they were together, she was very eager to tell him the baby was his.

"What, Carter?" What were those tears for? He cupped her chin in his hand and stared at her, praying she wasn't going to tell him she'd changed her mind, or that she still wasn't sure if what they had was worth fighting for.

"You can tell me anything, honey. Just don't tell me you don't want this," he pleaded.

"I love you, Jack. So of course I want this! I just thought I should tell you what Dr. Frasier told me."

"Oh? What was that?"

"The bun in my oven definitely has O'Neill's Bakery stamped on it."

THE END

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